Six Degrees of Passion

by Savannah Chase

  Emily Waters was the darling of her father’s eye and when Christian lost her he was devastated, choosing solace in a bottle. In less than a year the two loves of his life were taken from him in tragedy shattering his already fragile world. Unable to cope, he almost succumbed to taking his life until a chance encounter with one television interview dragged him out of the pits of hell.

  Curious about the man who was no longer a hero, Christian made a determination to seek revenge on the individual who was the cause of his anguish. As the two men squared off against a community under the thumb of some powerful men, suddenly they were faced with more than just personal tragedies. There was something horrible happening in their beloved city and required all hands on deck and a choice had to be made. Fortunately one fire investigator believed in Troy’s innocence but was not only threatened to remain quiet, she held a dark past of her own. As two men were forced to face each other and their abusive pasts they each found a kindred spirit and comfort in their heated passion. But would it be enough or would one lose his soul and possibly his life?

  EXCERPT

  “Die?” Dillon sucked in his breath. “In a fire?”

  “Yeah. I heard his screams and I was paralyzed. Shit, I couldn’t do a damn thing for several seconds and I barely got him out of the building before the floor went.” Troy’s hand shook as he stole a glance at Dillon.

  “But you did save him and of course you care. That’s just the kind of guy you are and always will be.”

  “Yeah I saved him but so what? I’m not the hero everyone thinks I am. You think way too highly of me.”

  Dillon shook his head. “And you think so little of yourself. Granted, you’re not the entire world’s hero. You’re just not and if no wonder you’re freezing up because of all the damn pressure you’re putting on yourself. It’s ridiculous.”

  “It’s my job!” Troy snapped. “That’s why I’m telling you I can’t fucking do this any longer.”

  “Okay. What do you mean by any of this?” Dillon asked as he eased down onto the rug.

  “Everything. My job and my life. I just don’t know who I am any longer,” Troy hissed as he gazed into the fire. “Maybe I never did.” He couldn’t even tell Dillon about parts of his life preferring to harbor what he considered to be the darker side of himself deep within. Still, Dillon knew about his kinky needs and his midnight jaunts given the way they’d met but it remained like a poison eating him up inside.

  “As I said, not sure you ever did.” Sighing, Dillon remained quiet sipping his wine before finally taking the glass out of Troy’s hand and setting both down. He brushed his hand across Troy’s and allowed the quiet comfort to be the only needed words.

  Troy allowed the action for a minute before pulling away and leaning back on the rug with both hands. “I’m sorry. I think I need to go. I’m not very good company right now.”

  “No, you suck but…” Dillon smiled and then rolled his eyes. “I’m no expert on any of this but I’m always just been me. Even as a kid I was wild and opinionated not caring what others thought about me. I think modeling has made me hard. You care way too much about what other people think of you. I don’t know how to help you, Troy. Yeah I know I had a family who supported me through everything so that mattered. I know you didn’t and still don’t.”

  Troy chuckled. “No, there was no family and growing up in a Catholic orphanage wasn’t the best method of allowing me to be me.” And that was the single reason he didn’t have any real love of religion and some said why he was fearless in his profession. He had little to lose.

  Everything he cared about had been stolen from him years before.

  “Even your brother remains hard on you.”

  “He cares but he doesn’t understand.”

  “That’s an understatement. Why don’t you consider taking a break from your job? Take a vacation. Travel the world. Do something for just you. Hell, I’m going on a modeling stint in a couple weeks in Paris. Maybe we could go together.”

  “Yeah. I don’t travel and I’m not sure what I would do with myself all alone.” As soon as he said the words he could see how hurt Dillon was. “It’s not you and I didn’t mean I would go with you.”

  Rising to his feet Dillon waved his off as he grabbed his wine. “Time for a refresher.” He walked away without looking back.

  Troy hissed. Why was he so damn bad with this shit? He was forty years old and hadn’t had a decent relationship in his entire life. While he’d been with beautiful women at times over the years, somehow they left him cold. The longest he’d ever been with someone was four months.

  Even when he finally admitted he preferred men the relationship with Dillon was the longest but it wasn’t a relationship at all. The sex was fantastic and their private conversations intelligent and insightful but every time Troy left Dillon’s place he went back into hiding. He now wasn’t sure if he was hiding from his sexual needs or the rest of him.

  “Look. I can’t seem to say anything right. I care a hell a lot about you and I know it’s got to be damn tough what you do every day,” Dillon said as he walked back slowly. His eyes were haunted but he smiled.

  “You want me to leave?” Shuddering, he stood up and could cut the tension between them with a knife. He was such an ass to Dillon sometimes.

  “No, I want you to stay. But I’m not going to push you to do anything. You can certainly stay here and enjoy the fire if you don’t want to be alone or we can talk of whatever but I’m just a bit tired of being here only when you need me so we’re going to have to think about what we’re doing after tonight. I deserve more.”

  It was as if hearing the words really made Troy think about what the man was saying.

  “You’re damn right and I’m an asshole. I’m not very good as saying I’m sorry but I am. It doesn’t mean I know what to do to make it better but I promise you I won’t treat you like just my sounding board or my toy any longer. Not fair to you.”

  The words hung in the room and Dillon sighed as he closed his eyes.

  Troy could see he’d hurt the man terribly and knew he was destined to be alone. “I’ll go. I won’t call you like this again. I promise.” Walking toward the door he grabbed his coat as his heart thumped in his chest. He’d managed to make a damn mess out of everything. Again.

  “Tell me something?”

  Stopping short Troy didn’t turn around. “What?”

  “Does this mean we can’t fuck any longer?”

  The playful tone had returned in Dillon’s voice and Troy couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t know. What do you think you want?”

  “You ask me that after all we’ve shared and all we’ve hungered for together?”

  Troy dropped his head and laughed. “You have a way with words.”

  Abby Hayes

  By day, Abby is what the world tells her to be. By night, alone with her imagination, she is who she wants to be. Giving into the breathy voices who pant new and exciting sexual scenarios inside of her head, she pounds away at her keyboard. Abby’s only goal is to have her readers free their own minds, grab their ereaders, and go away with her into a world where no one judges what the body wants, instead they explore what the flesh is capable of.

  "Warning: please refrain from reading Finding Paradise while in the presence of others, as frequent relief may be required. Holy smokes this book is HOT! From Nevaeh’s stories to Kelly, to the women experimenting with one another in a sex shop dressing room, Finding Paradise is one book that I will be reading over and over again instead of putting in a sexy movie. For exquisite sex scenes, amazing writing and the "real talk" feel for online chat, Finding Paradise is certainly deserving of a JERR Silver Star Award. Bottom line, find your own bit of paradise and pick up Finding ParadiseASAP!" - Silver Star Award at Just Erotic Romance Reviews (5/5 Stars) Website: http://abbyhayes.info/

  Blog: http://abby-hayes-author.blogspot.com/

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAbbyHayes

  FINDING
PARADISE by ABBY HAYES

  BLURB

  Days before her high school reunion, Kelly reconnects on Facebook with childhood friend, Nevaeh—a woman who, rumor has it, has lived a life straight out of some erotic novel. And, Kelly has a lot of erotica on her ereader! Ménages, slave fantasies, strangers and BDSM are all included in the stories Nevaeh has to share.

  This sexy, world traveler incites Kelly to forge a friendship unlike any she’s ever had before. She never knew a shopping trip could be so educational, especially in an adult store. With her head spinning and her panties damp, Kelly embarks on a crusade to reignite the passion her and her husband, Nate, once had with a few new toys and other surprises. When he surprises her by being a more than willing participant, she decides to test a few boundaries, push a few limits...

  Kelly becomes determined to find out if her old neighbor is right, if paradise can be found within your own four walls with the man you married. But, what happens when Kelly’s husband finds out about all of her time spent with Nevaeh? What will happen when Nevaeh’s husband, Hayden, comes into town for the reunion? Will her marriage be in trouble, or will things go further than Kelly ever dreamed they could go?

  EXCERPT FROM FACEBOOK CHAT IN STORY

  Nevaeh Knollinger Wade Led him to room, soon as we got in he pressed me against the wall, his hands felt huge when he ran them down my sides, was wet instantly – god, should I have said that? How many details you want?

  Kelly Carver Gordon More details. Spare me nothing. Get graphic! Cock – pussy – wet – I don’t care!

  Nevaeh Knollinger Wade LOL!!!! Okay. You asked for it! He tore off my sweater, forced my back harder against the wall, bra disappeared, one nipple he rolled between his fingers, the other he took into his warm mouth, he sucked me in, greedy Kelly Carver Gordon Like a man desperate for nourishment! No, I don’t read it too much!

  Kelly felt her own nipples tighten into stiff peaks. She found herself becoming more aroused noticing the way Nevaeh’s two tiny mounds presented themselves under her dress in her profile picture Then, she quickly turned her eyes to her mug of tea as if she would get caught.

  Nevaeh Knollinger Wade Sorry. I’m not being poetic enough for you.

  Kelly Carver Gordon No, I was just being goofy trying to make sure you feel comfortable, kept telling me the story :)

  Nevaeh Knollinger Wade Okay. Continuing! Threw head back expecting him to go to the other nipple, instead his mouth trailed down over my stomach, pressure was intense, my stomach clenched, his other hand squeezed my other breast at the same time… make sense?

  Kelly Carver Gordon I think I get the picture quite clear ;) Nevaeh Knollinger Wade His touches were pure pleasure bordering on pain, he placed a kiss on my jean-covered mound, undid my jeans, tore the denim off me in seconds, then he surprised me again, he bit at the cloth of my panties, tugged them away from my flesh with is teeth, then let them snap back against me, several times before pushing aside with his fingers, he spread me open, licked me. I am no writer, but this is fun trying to come up with the words.

  Maybe I should’ve said, spread open my throbbing pussy lips – I’ve read an erotic romance or two in my day!

  Kelly Carver Gordon You are doing an excellent job.

  Nevaeh Knollinger Wade Are you wet, my old neighbor/new friend? Are your nipples hard? Mine are.

  Kelly had a moment of feeling weirded-out, and worried about how she would now feel face to face with Nevaeh at the reunion. But, she’d promised she would go. What the hell, now. She continued to play along.

  Kelly Carver Gordon Yes. I am wet.

  Kiki Howell

  Ever since she was young, Kiki Howell has loved to listen to a well-woven tale with real characters, inspired plots, and delightful resolutions. Kiki could spend hours lost in a book, and soon she knew that creating lives, loves, and losses with just words had to be the greatest thing that she could do. To that end, she pursued her study of literature and writing, earning a bachelor’s degree in English. She then followed in a Master’s program in Creative Writing.

  “After a long break having my boys, I finally just had to write again. And, as soon as I gave the stories the space, they entered it. It’s both awesome and humbling to find the words in my mind become characters on a page and create their lives.”

  In May, 2011, Kiki was chosen as an Ohioana Book Festival author for her novel, Torn

  Asunder.

  She now has had over thirty stories published with eleven different publishers. Yes, she gets around! If you would like to read other stories with the mix of paranormal characters and mild BDSM erotic romance, check out her novellas, Rituals and Working Out the Kinks.

  "Kiki has such a way of extracting deep feelings from her readers. She has such a handle on peoples emotions you would almost swear it was an otherworldly talent." ~ Raquel Vega-Grieder about Working Out The Kinks

  Kiki loves to hear from fans!

  Email her at howell.kiki@gmail.com

  Website: http://www.kikihowell.com

  MYSTICAL MAYHEM by KIKI HOWELL

  BLURB

  When rogue shifters capture Aiyanna, a Native American Indian with a dragon spirit, she finds herself tied to the wall of a cave, about to be the sacrifice in their twisted sex ritual. Their intention is to conceive another chimera, the legendary paranormal superman of Alaska. What the group didn’t plan for is the real chimera, Xander, coming to their sacrifice’s rescue.

  Once in his cave, as Xander cares for Aiyanna’s wounds and shares a little of his rough life, the two find they’re mates. The next step in their lives should be clear. Instead, in this world gone mad, where paranormal creatures who once lived secretly on the fringes of society are currently joining together for evil purposes, indecision reigns. As lines are drawn, war ensues and personal struggles mount, Xander is called to join a Special Activities Division of the CIA. Decisions must be made even as the mystical mayhem continues around them.

  EXCERPT

  Pain cut like a blade stuck in her wrists each time she hurled her weight forward. Aiyanna needed her Dragon in order to break the ropes that tied her arms above her head. Yet, deep inside this cave, the Spirit remained elusive. A maize-colored light surrounded her – stifled her ability to call to her animal, the only one left to save her.

  Rogue shifters had invaded her reservation here in Alaska, or at least what remained of an old one. Aiyanna had no idea what’d happened to the others there, those she called friends and family. She, alone, had been captured, taken in the dark in complete silence. Now, she hung against a cold rock wall listening to a man who’d shifted into a Hawk when he’d gotten frustrated a moment ago, but was now a man again. He fought with the other shifters present, as well as a witch about the specifics of a sex ritual she was to be sacrificed in.

  “You listen to me. Bottom line. Ideal or not,” the Hawk-man hissed. “We have a sacrifice: a mystical woman, an Indian with a Dragon Spirit. The bitch is perfect. We have shifters here to represent each element with a corresponding animal. Don’t get all fuckin’ simpering woman on me because you know her.”

  “I know of her. She is gifted, maybe too gifted to kill, was all I was saying, Aiden,” spat the witch, though she was wringing her fists in front of her. Aiyanna knew of the witch too – mostly rumors though. Her name was Selene, and she practiced on the dark side of magick despite the way she’d been raised. Selene, like Aiyanna, had lost her mother young.

  “You listen to me. I’ve planned this for too long. You knew how it would work. You will do this! It’s your choice how easy or hard your participation will be. Got it? The moon is right. The ritual stones and other shit have been gathered.” The Hawk-man’s voice was rising, beating at the air as his wings had a few minutes ago. “We do this tonight. We kill her tonight! We will all mate with you, witch, tonight! A child will be conceived. One like the legends.”

  Aiyanna knew exactly the legend they spoke of. The superman, if you will, of the shifters.

  She c
ould use his help right about now. Not many had seen him, but the one who shifted into a combination of many beasts at once, the Chimera, saved those in dire need. She felt hanging from a wall, about to be sacrificed qualified as a bit dire.

  Cassandre Dayne

  Cassandre writes highly erotic romance stories and novels in the contemporary, science fiction and paranormal flavors. Currently she has over fifty erotic romance novels published with Rebel Ink Press and several more under contract. Her recent titles include: Like a River, Hot Summer Nights Collection, Dirty Little Lunches Collection, His Wrath, Done, Unleashed, Rustling Danger, Extreme Position, Ride and Wild Pony, Dirty Little Lunches Collection and several m/m pieces including Game Over, Power Struggle and Punch Back, The Fire of Submission. Her first print release – a compilation of several pieces titled The Feast of Temptation was released in September with a second for the m/m genre set for release later this year. Her m/m titles including Punchback, Shattered, Hearts Forged in Fire, His Wrath, Done, Like a River, and every Hot Summer Nights piece received silver stars from ARe within hours of their release. She has over twenty set to release in 2012 with Rebel Ink.