Blog Tour - Taste (Take it Off #9) by Cambria Hebert

One taste is never enough…

Spencer Waller’s main purpose in life is to protect and serve. After spending years in the military, he gets a coveted spot on the Secret Service detail protecting the president. Spence doesn’t have time for women or all the work having a relationship with one requires. But just because he isn’t looking for a lady doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate a beautiful one when he sees her. 

And he makes it a point to see one in particular every single day.

Elle Bond has literally chopped and fried her way to the top of the food chain. Earning a coveted position in the White House as the president’s personal chef, she figures her professional life can only get better. Her personal life, on the other hand, could use a little bit of an overhaul, and because of that, she tries to ignore the charm-dripping cookie thief every time he comes into her kitchen. After all, she knows better than anyone that just one taste of something good is never enough.

One night after work, Elle is assaulted, threatened, and given an ultimatum. She can’t go to the police, and she sure as hell can’t do what she was ordered. 

But she has to. Or else.

Pale, shaken, and scared to death, Elle confides in Spence, and his protective instincts take over. Together, Elle and Spencer have to uncover a sinister plot and stop it before someone ends up dead.

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Excerpt 1:

From this close I could see the scruff growing in on his jaw area, it was dark blond too and made him look totally delicious.
Holding my shirt up with one hand he reached out with the other, gliding his fingers across my stomach, just below my ribcage. “Here?” he whispered, staring at the area.
I nodded, not bothering to glance down. The skin stung lightly as he caressed it. I didn’t care. Frankly, it could hurt like hell and I still would have let him touch it. Desire suffused my limbs, making them heavy. I felt goose bumps break out over my bare skin, and maybe I should have been embarrassed at my reaction because really there wasn’t anything sexual to what he was doing but my body sure as well acted like there was.
He frowned a little when my muscled trembled beneath him and glanced up. “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“It’s just red. No blisters,” he answered, not looking back down at the “burn” but not pulling his fingers away either. Spencer watched me as he dragged the tops of his knuckles down the curve of my waist and moved across my navel.
“You burned anywhere else?” he rumbled in a low, throaty tone.
Man, I wish I was. I wished I could point out a thousand injuries just to give him a reason to not lift his hand.
“No,” I whispered.
He glided his hand over my hip and curved his palm around the dip in my waist, tugging me just a little bit closer. Just one step… that’s all I needed to take to bring my bare waist up against his body.
I tilted my head back when he bent, lowering his face toward mine. I anticipated his kiss, I craved it… part of me thought I might need it.
He stopped just inches away, his heavy lidded eyes spearing mine. “Nice drawers,” he whispered.
It took me a second to realize what he said, I was too far under his spell.
But when his lips turned up in an onery smirk his words penetrated my lust laden brain I gasped and leaped back, pulling my shirt from his hand and yanking it down over my “drawers”.
“Oh my God!” I burst out. “You are such a pig!”
He laughed. “What? I was paying you a compliment.”
I groaned, still yanking at the hem of my shirt. “You’re making fun of me!” I challenged.
He laid a hand over his heart and looked at me solemnly. “I do swear that no one wears polka dots like you do.”
I. Was. Going. To. Die. Of embarrassment.

Excerpt 2:

The room was completely silent except for the light scrawling of my pen across paper. Maybe that’s why I heard the sound.
It was a low scraping sound, like wood rubbing against wood. I tilted my head, confused. It was an odd sound to hear in the middle of the night, something I might not even think twice about if it were daylight.
But it wasn’t.
A muffled thump overhead caused my entire body to tighten like a shoelace with a double knot. My head snapped back to stare up at the ceiling.
I was being crazy.
I was being paranoid.
Thump.
There was someone in the apartment!
A surge of adrenaline so powerful it blurred my vision for a few seconds rocketed through me. My brain tried to think as my body went into overdrive. That first sound, someone had opened a window upstairs. The thump was when that someone dropped their up-to-no-good ass into my house.
Still clutching the pen, I raced for the stairs, out of my mind with fear. All the times my mother told me I needed to get a landline phone installed haunted me in that moment. My only means of calling for help was upstairs, beside my bed, in the form of my smart phone.
She was never going to let me hear the end of this.
If I survive. The thought floated through my head like a vicious taunt. Another light scuffling sound upstairs had my heart thumping even harder.
My God, it might not be me they hurt!
I wasn’t quiet on my way up the old wooden steps. In fact, I sounded like a herd of elephants that needed to lose about twenty pounds.
Good.
It would draw all the attention of the no good dirty rotten bastards in here.
Come get me, assholes.
It was dark upstairs except for the nightlight that lit up the hallway. Against the long wall across from that light, I saw a dark, lurking shadow pass. I gasped and my blood pressure skyrocketed so high that my scalp likely should have blown off the top of my head.
Holy shit, this was scary.
But I had to be strong. I had to be a fighter. I was a fighter.
The intruder appeared at the top of the stairs, slipping out of my bedroom just as I cleared the top step. His body tensed when he saw me, and then he rushed me without warning.

Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com

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The Luckiest by Wendy Owens

Once upon a time Mackenzie Phillips thought she’d found her happily

ever after. She had married her high school sweetheart and had started

her perfect family. But one tragic night Mac’s perfect life was ripped

away from her, leaving her beautiful fairy tale existence in ruins.

When everything worth living for is suddenly taken from you, how do

you keep going? People told her how lucky she was just to be alive

after that night, but she didn’t agree.

Years passed with Mac living in a fog, until another unfortunate turn

of events placed her world on its head once again. Now, still carrying

the tender wounds of her past, this widow has to face the realities of

life again.

Broken and truly alone, she must find work. In walks her new employer,

Dean Johnson, a guy who is just broken enough himself, that she thinks

he might actually be able to understand her. But Mac soon discovers

that that bond with Dean may instead force her to face demons she

isn’t yet ready to deal with.

**Contains mature material including language and sex

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I glance in, but the box is dark inside all of the tissue paper. My hands retrieve the first item. “Buckeyes!” I exclaim.

“I can see why she’s your best friend.” Dean leans on one elbow, watching me explore the contents one by one.

I reach in, continuing to pull out items—a black hair scarf with cherries, a pair of earrings from one of my favorite local jewelry designers in Cincinnati, Abbi Glines’s newest steamy romance. My cheeks go hot as Dean sees the cover, lifting his eyebrows.

“Well, I think that’s it,” I say, lifting the box, the sound of something shifting inside catching my attention. “Oh, there’s something else.”

I reach in, and as I do, I can feel Dean’s eyes locked on me. I feel something long and cool slip into my hand. Locking my fingers around it, I let the box fall away. Instantly, I see Dean straighten up, a half-cocked grin on his face.

Much to my horror, I look down to see a pink rubber penis-shaped device in my hand. I freeze, but my cheeks are on fire. All I can think about is the different ways I am going to torture Monica before I kill her.

“I can explain,” I begin. I’ll tell him she’s crazy—like actually certifiable.

He’s still grinning at me as he gives me a slight nod. He closes the gap between us even more.

“You know, I can help with that,” he offers, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s serious, or perhaps maybe I’m wishing.

“You think I’m that easy?” I hit the ball squarely back to him. I consider licking my lips, but worry that may be over the top. I’m looking directly at him, and damn, he’s incredible.

“A guy can hope.” He pauses, playfully lifting an eyebrow. “Can’t he?”

I grin. In fact, I can’t do anything but grin. He moves closer, and I glance down, realizing I’m still holding the device. My breath hitches, but he still moves closer. He’s facing me, never moving those gorgeous blue eyes away from me. He slides his arm around my waist, and as he presses himself against me, I’m sure I can feel an erection. This surprises me, and my hand releases the dildo, which falls to the floor with a thud.

“What’s wrong? Can’t contain your excitement around me?” he whispers, his breath warm on my neck, just below my ear.

My mouth is watering, my heartbeat quickens, and my head is now spinning. I pull back, the distance giving me a slight bit of clarity. The idea of this kind of pleasure is tempting. The bulge in his jeans tells me he is interested.

In an attempt to casually conceal the pink rubber shaft, I use the toe of my platform sandals to kick it under a nearby chair. Dean cocks a brow, his face shifts, and he laughs softly.

“What?” I shrug innocently.

“Did you just kick a dick under a chair?” He’s still laughing.

“Watch it, or I might make a habit of it.”

“Ouch,” he hisses, then winces, grabbing himself as if he were imagining the attack.

My eyes dart past his shoulder, where Storm is coming up the stairs. She has on her headphones, staring at the face of her phone. I nod my head at Dean, indicating we’re no longer alone. I shift, moving to walk past him. He grabs my hip, pulling me into his grasp.

“We’ll continue this later,” he promises. He takes my hand and leads me past Storm and out of the bus without a word. I wonder if she can tell what had been transpiring from the look on my face.

As we move around the side of the bus, I feel his hand shift to the small of my back. It’s like he knows all the places to touch me to drive me absolutely insane.

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Wendy Owens is a writer, born in the small college town, Oxford Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went onto a career in the visual arts. After several years of creating and selling her own artwork she gave her first love, writing, a try. It’s become a passion ever since. Wendy now happily spends her days writing the stories her characters guide her to tell, admitting even she doesn’t always know where that might lead. Her first series, The Guardians, is a YA fantasy series about angel and human hybrids.
Since then she has branched into NA Contemporary Romance and released titles to include Stubborn Love, Only In Dreams, and Do Anything. Her next romance, The Luckiest is scheduled to be released in July 2014.
When she’s not writing, this dog lover can be found spending time with her tech geek husband, their three amazing kids, and two pups. She loves to cook and is a film fanatic.

 

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"Lasting Fate" by: Charisse Spiers Cover Reveal

Lasting Fate Excerpt:

Preston I pull into the drive and the garage is open. I've told Kinzleigh to keep it shut. It's a nice area, but that doesn't mean we don't get strays from time to time looking for easy access to steal. Kinzleigh's mom should be here soon to help her with the baby for a few days. Maybe she's already here. I could use her help so I can get some work done. I'm swamped with projects and a new baby is more work than I thought. I try to give Kinzleigh a break when I get home.
Pulling under my garage door, I park and kill the engine. I grab my satchel that I take back and forth from the office and step out of my beamer. It's been a long day. I grab the knot of my tie and pull, loosening it. When I get to the door my heart drops to my stomach. It's cracked. My first thought is that someone has broken in. I push it open and walk inside. I drop my bag at the door and pick up pace when I hear Bryce screaming at the top of his lungs. A fear I've never known races through my body. What if she's hurt? "Kinzleigh," I call out throughout the house. I get no response. When I make it to the living room Bryce is lying in his bassinet screaming and Kinzleigh is lying on the couch staring off into space like a zombie, ignoring him. His face is blood red like he's been crying for a while. I reach over and pick him up, pulling him to my chest. "Hey, buddy. Shh, shh, shh. It's okay," I say as I rock him. It's not helping. He's obviously hungry or wet. Hell, I don't know. I've never had a baby before and I'm a guy. I would get cranky if I was hungry. Kinzleigh is breast-feeding, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
"Kinzleigh, when is the last time you fed him?" I look over at her, still attempting to calm him down. My ears are stinging from his constant crying. I can't think. She has not even acknowledged I'm in the room. "Kinzleigh, what the fuck?" The only type of response I get from her are tears that fall from the corners of her eyes and they trickle down her nose before dropping onto the leather of the sofa. "I can't," is all she says and goes back to staring off into space. What the hell does that even mean, she can't?
"You can't or you won't? What happened to you? Are you sick?" He is still screaming, so I reach in the bassinet and get his pacifier, hoping it calms him a little until I can figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do now. "I can't," she says again. She's not even looking at him. I begin walking towards her in an attempt to see what's wrong and get her to feed him. She closes her eyes before I get there. "Please don't. I can't hold him. Please, take him somewhere else. Please..." I don't understand. She was fine when I left for work. I try to give him his pacifier. We don't have any formula, because she wanted to feed him naturally. How does everything change so drastically in twelve hours?
He takes it for a second before he figures out nothing is coming out of it and spits it back out, now mad as hell. I can't deal with this shit right now. I'm worried about her, because she's not acting right, but I have to get him calmed down first. Pulling out my phone from the pocket of my slacks, I hit one of the contacts in my immediate access list. It rings for a minute before the line picks up. "Preston? It's seven thirty and the sitter just left. Do I need to call her back? Is that Bryce? Is he okay?" Her voice is drowned out by his crying. I walk out of the room with the phone up to my ear. "Hey, Macie. I need your help. It's an emergency. It's about Kinzleigh. You can bring Talon." "Anything, Preston. Is she okay?"
I peek my head back in the door. She's still lying on the couch in the exact same position she was when I left. She is still staring at the wall blankly, no emotion registering on her face. "I don't think so. I came home and Bryce was screaming in his bassinet. She's just lying on the couch in a vegetative state. She won't hold him. I have no idea when she's fed him last. Can you bring some formula?" "I think I know what's wrong with her. I'll be right there. Give me fifteen minutes." She doesn't wait for an answer before disconnecting the call. I slide the phone back in my pocket and begin bouncing him slightly while I pat his back. His tiny head is resting against my cheek.
"It's okay, buddy. We'll get your mama fixed, okay? Don't worry. She must have a reason for letting you cry, she has to. You'll love her. She's kind of hard not to love." His cry is dying down, from the exhaustion I'm sure, but not stopping completely. I stand in the doorway watching her. I've never in my entire life seen her like this, not even when her grandmother died. It's like her soul has been sucked from her body, leaving nothing but a hollow woman lying in this big house. I'm scared to know what that means. I need to talk to Macie. I have a strange feeling I'm losing her. I've never been in love with a girl like I'm in love with Kinzleigh, and I never will be again, but I can't stand seeing her like this. If this is going to be the girl she becomes, then I'll have to make another choice, one that is going to forever destroy me for a woman. I won't trap her. We were happy before he came back. I won't watch her disintegrate and become lifeless to preserve my own happiness.
The realization occurs that if she doesn't get better I may have to let her go. Watching her lay as if she is alive, but dead, is killing me inside. I've never been an emotional guy until I went back to Mississippi that night and saw her the way I did. Something changed in me that night. From that point forward it wasn't about me, but her. I learned that when you love someone, you do what's best for them, even if it isn't what's best for you. I want to walk over to her right now, but I have to take care of Bryce first. I made a promise to love and take care of both of them. I'm going to keep that promise for as long as I can. Right now I'm scared and I don't know how long I'm going to get to hold onto what has become my family. Just because this child doesn't share my blood, he still shares a piece of my heart. I kiss the top of his head. He finally cried himself to sleep, but he won't be asleep long. Macie should be here soon. I can tell his diaper needs to be changed anyway.
I stare at the girl that captured my heart from the time I was just a teenager. I've really grown into a man from then to now. I rub my thumb back and forth on Bryce's head, above his ear. "I need to leave you for a minute, but I promise I'll come take care of you," I whisper into the air in her direction. "I love you, Kinzleigh." My eyes fill to the brim with tears, but I close my lids before they have the chance to fall. She doesn't have room in her life for someone that can't contain his emotions. I kiss the top of his head; his baby smell fills my nostrils. "I love you also, buddy." I hold him close to me and begin walking in the direction of the stairs and towards his room. I'm going to savor every moment with the two of them. My brain wants me to believe that I still have them forever, but my heart is preparing me for the worst.
After changing his diaper, I sit in the rocker and start to rock him. Macie walks in with a bottle in hand. She takes one look at me and gets a saddened look in her eyes, more like a look of pity. "You've gotten attached to him, haven't you?" "Yeah." I am not one of those guys that talk about the emotions fighting against each other deep inside. I prefer to keep to myself. Revealing parts of yourself to others sets you up for gossip and judgment. Coming from a family in the media that was something you didn't do. Kinzleigh is the only person I've ever let in.
"I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries, because I really like you as a boss and a person, but you know there is only way to fix her, right?" I continue rocking back and forth, staring at the wall before me. I want to know, but at the same time I don't. I'm not sure I want to know the answer, because I think I already do. "What's that?"
"Preston, you can't fight soul mates. I know you love her, and I really believe she loves you in return, but she's meant for him. His return has changed the rules of the game. Her soul is fighting her, mourning for its other half. A doctor is going to tell you it's postpartum depression, but we both know what's really wrong with her." I'm getting mad. Things were going great before he came back. I'm not going to be an asshole and say I wish he would've died, because I don't, but she's the only girl I've ever wanted. That should count for something. "So, you think I should just hand her over to him? What kind of a man hands over the only thing he wants in life. I've only ever loved her..."
"I'm saying you should set her free. She made you a promise, and I don't think she's going to break it. Her soul is turning against her, rebelling until she gives it what it wants. As silly as it sounds, I really believe someone can die of a broken heart. Would you rather keep her alive and well or allow her to suffer slowly? If you really love her, prove it, and set her free her from the ropes that bind her. Selflessness, that's the ultimate sacrifice in love." I look down at the bundle in my arms. I can't let them go yet. I need a little more time. She could still get better. She has to get better. I'm trying to convince myself, but it's not working. Bryce wakes up crying. "Here, give him to me. Talon is watching television in the spare room downstairs. Go tend to her. She needs someone. She looks horrible."
I stand and hand him to her. I watch her sit in the chair, but I can't quit looking at him. "Preston..." I glance up at her. "We'll be fine. I've raised one baby. Go on." I nod and follow instructions, leaving the room. When I get to where Kinzleigh is, she looks worse than she did before. It feels like someone has a hold on my heart and squeezing as hard as they can until it pops. I get to her and squat down so that I'm at her level. "Kinzleigh," I whisper. Her eyes are void of all life and emotion. She doesn't look at me. It's as if she can't even hear me. Fuck it. I can't take this anymore.
I slide my arms underneath her and lift her, pulling her against my chest. "I'll do whatever I have to do to fix you, Kinz. I promise." I walk her upstairs and into our bathroom, sitting her on the toilet. She slumps slightly, but holds herself up. "Lift your arms," I state. She does as I say. I remove her shirt and she lowers them back down. I unclasp her bra and remove that too. She is now sitting in just her underwear. I unbutton my shirt and let it fall to the floor. Grabbing the collar of my undershirt, I pull it over my head and toss it down on the other one, forming a pile. I work quickly to unfasten my belt and pants, letting them drop to the floor as well. Stepping out of my shoes and pants in unison, I kick them to the side. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pick her up and she wraps her legs around me, and then lays her head against my chest. I walk over to the large round tub and step in. Reaching forward and down, I turn the nozzle and adjust the settings until the water is warm.
I sit down as the bathtub fills with water. My eyes fill with moisture again, but this time I let them fall. My heart is breaking, shattering is a more appropriate word. The only things at the forefront of my mind are the things Macie said. I hold her wrapped in my arms and silently cry. My heart is trying to convince my mind that it's wrong, duking it out on what's best for her. I don't want to let her go. I want to love her each and every day for the rest of my life. I want to give her the world, and be her world, but after seeing how she reacted to him at the hotel that day and seeing her when she told him goodbye, and looking at her now, my mind is overpowering my heart. It's clear that what I want and what she wants are two different things.
I could hold onto her if I wanted, but my love for her guilt’s me, and won't let me do this to her. I feel like I'm being gutted at the realization of what I have to do. I'll never be the same after this. I'll never give my heart to another woman. When I do this I'm defying everything I was taught by giving in. I'm sacrificing my happiness for hers. When her and Bryce go, my heart goes with them. After holding her in the bathtub and trying to convince myself to go back on my decision, I bathed her and gave her some sleeping medicine from the cabinet. I lay her in the bed and pull the covers over her. It doesn't take her long before her eyes begin to roll in the back of her head and her lids close.
Her cell phone on the nightstand starts to ring. I notice it's an unsaved number. Trying not to wake her, I answer the call. "Hello." The line is silent. "Can I talk to Kinzleigh?" I look down at her. She is sleeping and looks peaceful for the first time since I got home from work. I'm not waking her. Besides, I'm about to give her over to the bastard anyway; he can let me have a few more hours.
"Now's not a good time," I say. "Are we really going to play it this way?" He breathes and I walk out of the room, quietly shutting the door. I move far enough away she can't hear me if she wakes.
I need him to stop calling, because what I have to do has to be done in person and I don't need him to worry Kinzleigh until this is done. "She doesn't want to see you, Breyson. Please stop calling." I disconnect the call and throw the phone at the wall, leaving a crack and a now shattered phone. I run my hands through my hair and rest against the wall, sliding down until I'm sitting on the floor. Leaning my head back I close my eyes.

Meet Charisse Spiers

I developed a passion for reading I never knew I had in November of 2012 when I decided to give eBooks a try. Since then I can't go a day without some form of a book or character running wild through my mind. For almost a year I constantly had a book pulled up on my Kindle app for my iPad. The beauty of self publishing is that you can interact with the authors, which is how I started writing. I never knew I had the creativity to write a novel until I began conversing with another Indie author. If you ever think that Indie authors don't like getting feedback from readers, you are very wrong. I began editing for a fellow author and because she took a leap of faith in me and told me to give writing a shot, I am now an Indie author myself. I cannot tell you how amazing this journey has been. It is hard putting yourself out there for the public eye with all of the reviews that come through, but it's also amazing. I have met some of the most genuine people and people I would consider friends even though I've never met them face to face. I have now published the first two books in the Fate series, Accepted Fate and Twisting Fate and I am starting book three Lasting Fate to be released November 2, 2014. I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me and feel free to interact with me here or on social media. I will respond. :)

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