Emerald Fire

by Valerie Twombly

  “Let me show you how much you mean to me.” The brown in his eyes deepened until they were almost black.

  Words formed but caught in her throat. This man was going to undo her.

  He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, and when she gasped, he slid his tongue across hers. His fingers tangled in her hair and pulled her closer. With her arms now free, she wrapped them around his neck. He pressed his erection into her thigh and rubbed. Her breath hitched. The friction sent a cauldron of lava through her veins.

  “Brock, I need you,” she whispered.

  “And you shall have me. Soon.” He flashed a white smile.

  Soon? Did he mean to drive her insane with desire? If it was his intent, she already teetered on the edge of a white-hot blade. There was no contest. He’d won.

  “Now.” She tried hard to sound demanding, but it was difficult when her voice strained.

  He only smiled again and slid down her front. Pushing her thighs apart, he slipped his hands under her ass and lifted her to him.

  She clutched the bed in anticipation.

  With a swipe of his tongue between her folds, the world stopped spinning. A second swipe and she reached for his arms, her nails digging into his biceps. The third time, his tongue speared her, parting the fleshy opening and pushed into her clenched tunnel. There was no holding on any longer. He’d pushed the button that sent her on a rollercoaster ride.

  Her thighs pressed into him and held tight as the orgasm consumed her body and sent her skyrocketing upward. She wavered at the top, hovering on the brink of some kind of sexual madness. She could scarcely draw a breath. Then his tongue pressed her swollen clit. Every nerve fired simultaneously and sent her spiraling downward. She would crash and burn, but what a way to go.

  When he finally released her, he laid her gently to rest on the bed.

  His eyes swirled with desire. He planted several light kisses on her abdomen and up her chest, between her breasts. His cock pressed into her pussy, and she wiggled against him, needing him inside her. He didn’t oblige her desire. Instead, he kissed her. His tongue speared her and slowly tasted every inch of her mouth before he broke free.

  “On your knees, darlin’.” His voice remained calm yet commanding. He moved back to give her room to comply, and the look in his eyes told her it was best not to disobey. Not that she was considering it. She needed him, this demon who was her gentle alpha. She loved him. There was no question in her mind.

  Once she was on her knees, he spread her legs farther apart and rubbed the head of his cock along her slick center.

  She hissed.

  In a swift move, he was in. So deep inside it felt as if he touched her soul. Maybe, he was.

  He pulled out then thrust deep. Steady rhythmic movements brushed her center, bringing her closer to heaven. “Oh god, Brock, you feel so good.” She pushed back to meet his every move. She craved every piece of him. His heart, his body and his soul.

  As she climbed upward, thinking nothing could feel more blissful than this moment. He reached around and rubbed her clit.

  She shattered.

  Light flashed, and magic caressed her skin. He held her tight, never missing a beat. When she’d come back to reality, he pulled her to his chest, brushed her hair aside and kissed her shoulder. Before she knew what happened, he bit her. Magic sparked in the air, and she felt the warmth of her blood running down her arm.

  He’d marked her.

  In one last thrust, he released his seed, filling her and completing the mating bond. They were now joined for eternity.

  For several minutes, he held her to him. No words passed between them. She was in shock. She hadn’t expected he’d actually mate her. Here. Now.

  “Brock?”

  He gave a squeeze before releasing her. She pulled away and turned to look at him.

  He raised a brow. “Why do you look so surprised?”

  “I…” Shit. “I didn’t expect you to mate me.”

  “I told you I was going to show you what you mean to me, Sarah.” He rose, grabbed his shorts and pulled them on before walking out of the room.

  “Fuck!” She snatched the robe, trying to get her arm through the hole while running from the room. She hadn’t meant for her words to sting him like that. She followed his scent to the upper deck where he was tipping back a beer.

  “Brock. I didn’t mean it like it sounded.” She stood in front of him.

  “How did you mean it then? I thought that’s what you wanted.” He scrubbed a hand over his stubble.

  She moved forward and placed a hand on his cheek. Tears formed in her eyes. “Yes, it was exactly what I wanted. I just meant I thought you’d want to wait awhile. That’s all.”

  He set down his beer and pulled her into his arms. “I thought I might have fucked up again. It was the only way I knew to show you that I really do love you. That I’m committed to us and our future.”

  She sniffled.

  “Why you crying?” He had fear written all over his face.

  “I’m so happy. I’ve waited a long time for you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

  He smiled. “Darlin’, you have made me the happiest man alive. I promise to spend eternity catering to your every need.”

  She arched a brow. “Well, how about we start with breakfast? I’m famished. Then you can take me out to sea, and we can watch the sunset. After that, we can make mad, passionate love again and again until the sun rises.”

  He lifted her and headed toward the galley. “I can think of nothing I’d love more.” He set her on her feet in the small kitchen. “There is one thing you should know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve promised to help Damis and Elias eradicate the hate groups. We have to stop them before they get out of control again.”

  Sarah heard the tension in his voice and knew this was something that meant a great deal to him. After all, he’d lost one mate and a son then almost lost her. “I think it’s a great mission. Only one thing.”

  He looked panicked. “What’s that?”

  “I want to help.”

  His eyes widened. “No fucking way will I place you in danger.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “God, Sarah, don’t even ask it of me.”

  She slid into his open arms, and he pulled her close. “Brock, I love you and would never ask you to do that. There must be something else I can do to help that won’t place me in harm’s way.”

  He relaxed. “I suppose there might be. We can talk to Damis and Kat and see what they suggest.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’ll like Kat, and Damis…well, he’ll grow on you.”

  She looked up at him. “Brock, let’s go home. I mean back to our world. Can we spend some time together, alone?”

  He touched his forehead to hers. “I’d love nothing more.”

  His lips pressed against the tip of her nose then down to her mouth. She parted and allowed his tongue to sweep her mouth. The bond between them caused her desire to spike higher. She broke free, her breaths coming in short pants.

  “Forget breakfast. You’re all I need,” she whispered.

  He pushed the robe off her shoulders and suckled her neck. She was home in the arms of a man who loved her, and for the first time in her life, everything was perfect.

  About the Author

  As a child, Valerie would often get into trouble for peeking at her mother’s favorite TV show, Dark Shadows. She can still hear her mother saying “It will give you nightmares.” She was right of course, but that did not stop Valerie from watching. As an adult, her love of the fanged creatures never waned. She would watch any vampire movie she could find.

  Being a true romantic, Valerie was thrilled when she discovered the genre of paranormal romance. Her first read was one of Lara Adrian’s, Midnight Breed Series and from there she was hooked.

  Today, Valerie has decided to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is not busy creating a world full of ste
amy, hot men and strong, seductive women, she juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd dogs, in Northern IL.

  Valerie loves to talk to her readers and can be found at http://www.valerietwombly.com/.

  Also Available from

  Resplendence Publishing

  Fatal Desire by Valerie Twombly

  Guardians Series, Book Two

  Caleb is dark, hot, and commanding in human form. As a dragon, he’s a force to be reckoned with. When he witnesses the slave Lileta being beaten by his Overlord Odage, he nearly comes unglued. Without understanding why, he asks to take the slave as his own, but soon realizes his longing is more than an attraction to a beautiful woman. In a sick twist of fate, the gods have given him a demon as his mate—one he can never touch unless he wishes his own death. His only choice is to grant her freedom.

  Lileta wanted to kill Caleb, but when she is freed by this tempting male, her anger turns to a desire that can only prove fatal. Even if she could claim him as her own, her dark past makes her unworthy of his love.

  When their paths continue to intertwine, spiraling them to the brink of passion, can they resist the yearnings burning within them, or will they submit to their fatal desire?

  Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn

  Awakening Pride Series, Book One

  The legend of the Paka Watu...

  Ever since she was a young girl, Abby Lane can’t resist the allure of a catshifter tribe forced to repress their beasts. On a trip to Africa, she discovers a coveted piece of information—the name the pride leader assumed when he left his home—and she traces his lineage to his descendent.

  The sleeping lion...

  Utah Pearce can’t keep his gaze off the woman who slips into the bar every night. Though not his usual type, she brings out the possessive instinct in him, making him battle with himself as he tries to stay away.

  Mine...

  Abby’s research never prepared her for the reality in front of her. The beast is waking, and Utah is changing in ways both exciting and terrifying. He is possessive and dominant, and when he finally claims her, neither of them will ever be the same.

  Cougar’s Eve by KellyAnn Long

  Eve Dubois is a Sensitive—as in, she can hear and talk to ghosts. Nicknamed the town’s “spook-kook,” the six-foot tall shy redhead would rather stay hidden in the shadows but life doesn’t always cooperate.

  The first time Vale Arthur sees Eve, he knows she is his mate, but how can he tell her he is a were-cougar? Having been deeply raked over the emotional coals, Vale does not trust women easily. He wants to be with Eve more than anything in the world, but will he be able to put aside his painful past to give his heart to his mate?

  After Dark by Kris Norris

  Between the Veils Series, Book One

  Temperance Dunnigan can’t believe she’s agreed to travel to New Orleans to be part of Avery Smith’s special ghost hunting squad—and in the midst of Mardi Gras no less. There isn’t a sane reason to be there…other than Avery. Though she considers him a spoiled, rich kid, his money is her ticket to finally getting some concrete evidence to lay the eternal question of spirits to rest.

  Avery didn’t think twice about inviting one of the foremost paranormal investigators to his retreat. After all, Temperance is smart, daring and totally not his type. He’s more than aware of her feelings toward him and embraces the chance to work with someone he has absolutely no interest in…that is until she becomes entrenched in a deadly summoning. Saving her life wasn’t part of the plan, and now he can’t stop his heart from racing every time she looks at him. They’ve got one week to figure it out before all hell breaks loose, and Avery loses more than just his reputation.

  Elemental Enchantment by Bronwyn Green

  Witch Way Series, Book Three

  Photographer Meaghan Boulton thinks a steamy one-night stand with a member of the bridal party seems like a great idea. And it is…until the ghost of a missing child shows up in the wedding photos and her one-night stand turns out to be a cop who suspects her of being involved in the child’s abduction.

  Eli Jones is having a rough week. The woman of his dreams—the woman he’s been infatuated with since high school—skips out of his hotel room after the hottest hook-up of his life. Worse, she’s got information on a kidnapping that she couldn’t possibly have—unless what she says is true and she’s a witch.

  Despite the cloud of suspicion that hovers between them, they need to work together to find the missing child. When it’s over, will anything be left of their passion to salvage?

  Dark Promise by Gwendolyn Cease

  Promises Series, Book One

  Joelle Quinn doesn't live much differently than any other working person, holding down two jobs and struggling to keep her head above water. But all of that changes when a vampire walks into her life. He doesn't ask for much: he merely wants Joelle to give her blood to another vampire, one who is nearly insane.

  Talon struggles to hold the darkness at bay, fighting back a raging beast inside. The urge to kill and bathe in the blood of anyone in his vicinity is something he lives with every day—until he meets the one woman who holds the key to his sanity, and perhaps his very survival.

  Dark Surrender by Temple Hogan

  Taste of Darkness Series, Book Three

  Vampire Hunter, Marika Stanislaus—or little sister as her older, protective brothers like to call her—is on her own for the first time. With both men tied up in Europe, she’s the only one left to investigate an active vampire at work in the Florida Keys. She’s tired of her brothers treating her like a baby. After all, she’s one hundred and ten years old, a woman of the world.

  Nicholas Kyrillos just wants a quiet, peaceful retreat where he can rest and contemplate something other than dodging hunters who want to nuke him. He has few rules, chief among them, no women. With a daily supply of blood from a medical house, he plans to walk the shoreline and read all the literary classics he’s missed the past century or so. He never reckoned on a rogue vampire, who’s picking off unsuspecting tourists as his personal smorgasbord, or on a gung-ho, fresh-faced vampire hunter who’s unrelenting in everything she pursues, especially when she’s spent the night in his bed. Where’s the peace now?

  Three Ways to Wicked by Melinda Barron

  Bestselling Author Krisily Carmichael needs a break from her life. Her horrid ex-boyfriend sold naked photos of her, and now she’s plastered all over the nation’s largest skin magazine. So when an advertisement for a rental cottage near Bath appears in her mailbox, she snatches up the offer.

  When she arrives at the remote English cottage, she finds a charming country home with a huge botanical garden…complete with four magical beings trapped inside.

  Victim of a wayward spell, the Sorcerer Uriel and his alchemist cousins, Bythos and Acolius, have spent centuries trapped inside their garden with an evil witch who wants their secrets. Krisily’s arrival sets off a string of events foretold to bring about the witch’s end. Unfortunately, they have to contend with the witch’s curse, which took one sense from each of the men.

  But the four of them find a way to communicate, and they come together in a blaze of passion that helps them to destroy the witch and meet their destiny.

  Oriana and the Three Werebears by Tia Fanning

  Oriana Ricci has taken over the family business—flying cargo and rich tourists around Alaska’s barely inhabited Kodiak Archipelago. When her plane malfunctions and she’s forced to make an emergency landing, she finds herself stranded in the middle of a National Wildlife Refuge. With no civilization for miles and no hope of rescue, she thinks all is lost… Until she stumbles upon the entrance to an underground bunker.

  Jack, Jordan, and Jonathan McMathan own and operate a secret intelligence firm contracted by the US Government. Hidden away in an old Cold War spy station located the middle of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, the brothers are not only able to do their top secret jobs safely without fear of disc
overy, but are better to protect their other, more personal secret: They have the ability to shift into Kodiak bears.

  Like a fairy tale gone bad, the brothers return home to find their lunch tasted—or eaten, their computer chairs adjusted—or broken, and a beautiful blonde sleeping in one of their beds. This situation poses a big problem for the brothers… Their location is now compromised. But more importantly, what are they to do with the lady?

  www.resplendencepublishing.com