“It’s perfect.” I kissed him again. “What should be do to celebrate?”
“We can think about that later,” Caleb said. “Right now, you should probably rescue your manuscript from your new friend.”
“What? Oh, no. Kitty, get down!” I tore myself from Caleb’s arms and leapt across the room, scooping up the kitten just as he started to dance across my open keyboard. If he accidentally sent an email of gibberish to my new agent …
Caleb laughed. “I think we’re going to have a great time, the three of us. Maybe …” He lifted an eyebrow to me. “Maybe one day, the four of us?”
“Maybe.” I raised my eyebrow at him, the ache inside me swelling up again.
“On the bed, Mrs. Lowe,” he growled, just the sound he knew that made my knees weak.
“Hey, I’m not Mrs. Lowe yet. I might even keep my own name, if it’s going to be on the cover of my book. And besides, if we’re going to try for a cub now, what will we do with our new friend?” I gestured to the kitten. “It would be rude to do that in front of him. We might warp his fragile little mind.”
“He’s gotta get used to it sooner or later,” Caleb growled. “I don’t intend to let you out of that bed for days.”
I knitted my fingers in his, enjoying the heaviness of the ring against my skin. “That’s an awfully bold statement, Mr. Parker. Perhaps we should see how much stamina you really have.”
He flipped me on the bed, his hands snaking under my shirt as he smothered my lips in kisses. “Yes,” he whispered against my lips. “Perhaps we shall.”
THE END
Want another story from the world of Crookshollow? Bakery owner Belinda Wu saves an injured raven, who turns out to be a shapeshifter on the run. Is Cole just the man she needs to save her from her own problems? Read Watcher now
Sign up to Steffanie Holmes’ newsletter to be notified when new books are available, and get a free Crookshollow story!
Want more Crookshollow wolves?
Sink your teeth into the hot werewolf paranormal romance from USA Today bestselling author, Steffanie Holmes!
Anna
It’s been five months since my boyfriend was tragically killed in a climbing accident. I didn’t think I was over him … until Luke walked on to the archaeological site.
Tall, dark, sexy, tattooed, funny, dangerous. Everything I want in a man.
But he’s hiding something. He acts strangely in the moonlight. He won’t tell me anything about his life. And I caught him trying to destroy an important find.
My body aches for him, but my heart tells me I’m not ready to make myself vulnerable again, especially not for a guy who isn’t being straight with me.
If only ...
Luke
Anna Sinclair – archaeologist, geek girl, totally and utterly delectable.
I knew from the moment her intoxicating scent wafted across my wolf senses, she's meant to be mine.
And that knowledge is terrifying.
The last thing I expected was to find my fated mate on an archaeological site. Whenever I’m near her, all I want to do is claim her.
But she’s broken. The last thing she needs in her life is a werewolf out for revenge. I’m here to destroy the site, to keep my family’s past buried forever.
If Anna finds out the truth, she’d never speak to me again.
But I can’t deny the bond between us. I’ll do anything to make her mine.
Digging the Wolf is a standalone paranormal romance by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes. Read if you love archaeological mysteries, badass wolves, a broken heroine, and a hero so hot he’ll have you howling for more.
START READING NOW
Also from the world of Crookshollow …
Love so fierce it transcends even death.
When Elinor Baxter arrives at the dilapidated Marshell House to settle the estate of her law firm's oldest client, she can't help but feel a little spooked. The creaking gothic mansion is a far cry from her life as an adventurous party girl back in London.
Then she meets Eric Marshell, a man dressed entirely in black with a wicked smile and the ability to float through walls. Eric was the violinist in popular rock band Ghost Symphony until a hit-and-run accident claimed his life. Now he's trapped inside his mother's house for all eternity, and the only one who can see or hear him is Elinor.
Eric and Elinor fight their attraction for each other as they dig into the mystery of Eric's death. But when they uncover a dark and sinister plot that threatens Elinor's life, their bond draws them into a world neither of them understands. Can their love transcend the boundary between life and death?
The Man in Black is a steamy gothic romance by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes, Set in the English village of Crookshollow, it's a standalone novel of love, redemption, and second chances. If you love clever BBW heroines, crumbling gothic mansions, and brooding rockstars who know what they want, then this book will have you shivering all over.
READ NOW: The Man in Black
The Man in Black
An excerpt
Elinor moved her hand, so her palm lay flat against mine. It was so odd to see her fingers nestled right inside my body, and even odder to feel them there, not as fingers usually feel, but as a hot ball of energy, emanating heat to a steady rhythm.
It took me a few moments to realise the rhythm was Elinor's heartbeat.
I stepped forward, my hand shifting against hers, her fingers dancing inside mine. I pressed my other hand against her back, my palm sinking into her flesh. If I were alive at this moment, I would push Elinor against my body, and relish the warmth of her, the shape of her, against me. But I couldn't do that, so instead I folded myself in closer to her. The front of my jacket brushed against her chest, sending waves of pulsing heat through my whole torso.
"This is amazing," Elinor breathed, her bow-shaped lips parting slightly. I didn't trust myself to reply, so I smiled back at her. I started to sway, pushing my right hip forward, moving the warmth through her leg. Elinor sensed the movement through her skin, and she moved backward, turning her body with me. I stepped again, and again we slid across the floor, our bodies sweeping and dipping with the music.
With my next step, I pushed myself closer, bowing my head slightly, so that my face hovered inches above hers. My eyes locked on those bow lips, ripe and delicious like the first berries of spring. I could feel my spectral cock straining against my boxers, ready for action. God, I want this woman—
"I like the music," Elinor said. Her voice wavered. She sounded nervous. I wondered if she was speaking because she sensed what I wanted to do, and she was trying to fill the space between us, to stop me from doing something I couldn't take back.
"Mmmm …" I shifted my fingers in her hand. The heat flickered, thrumming through my body with a quickened pace. She was nervous. Interesting.
"I love the … distortion. The way it crackles right through my whole body," Elinor breathed. "It's almost as if the music is mirroring the sensation when we touch."
"This piece is originally written by the composer Niccolò Paganini, a Greek violinist in the early nineteenth century," I murmured. If she wanted to talk, I could at least impress her. "He was known for making liberal use of the diabolus in musica, the devil's tritone, which creates that haunting dissonance you hear in the piece. Of course, Paganini's composition has been sped up and updated, and accompanied by the electric guitar, bass guitar, double bass, and drums, it's quite the feat of modern gothic rock."
"Who is playing the violin in this piece?" Elinor asked, her lips barely moving, struggling to form the words.
"I am, on Isolde. Ghost Symphony is my band."
"Eric …" Elinor's face turned up to me.
I leaned closer, I could practically taste the sweetness of those berry-red lips, feel the warmth of her mouth against mine. The air between us crackled with electricity. Elinor shifted her weight against mine, falling into me as she leaned forward, her lips pursed, waiting
.
I brushed my lips against hers. It was like no other kiss I'd ever experienced before. The heat leapt through my body, twisting from my mouth right through my core. I felt as though I'd swallowed a hot coal, and though it burned me deeply, it was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted. I leaned forward, my weightless body pressed against hers, my lips parting to devour her heat as our bodies hummed with pulsing energy.
READ NOW: The Man in Black
Support me on Patreon!
You can support Steffanie’s writing via her Patreon page – it’s like an ongoing crowdfunding campaign where you get free books, deleted scenes, random fun stuff, and the chance to name characters and decide plots.
Check out Steffanie’s patron page at: www.patreon.com/steffmetal.
About the Author
Steffanie Holmes is the author of steamy historical and paranormal romance. Her books feature clever, witty heroines, wild shifters, cunning witches and alpha males who always get what they want.
Before becoming a writer, Steffanie worked as an archaeologist and museum curator. She loves to explore historical settings and ancient conceptions of love and possession. From Dark Age Europe to crumbling gothic estates, Steffanie is fascinated with how love can blossom between the most unlikely characters. She also writes dark fantasy / science fiction under S. C. Green.
Steffanie lives in New Zealand with her husband and a horde of cantankerous cats.
Steffanie Holmes Mailing List
Want to be informed when the next Steffanie Holmes paranormal romance story goes live? Sign up for the mailing list!
Come hang with Steffanie
@steffmetal
steffanieholmesromance
www.steffanieholmes.com
[email protected]
Other Books By Steffanie Holmes
This list is in recommended reading order, although all Crookshollow series can be enjoyed as standalones.
Crookshollow Foxes (Alex & Ryan)
Art of Cunning - READ NOW FOR FREE
Art of the Hunt - READ NOW
Art of Temptation - READ NOW
Crookshollow Ghosts (Elinor & Eric)
The Man in Black - READ NOW
Crookshollow Ravens (Belinda & Cole)
Watcher - READ NOW
Reaper - READ NOW
Wolves of Crookshollow
Digging the Wolf (Anna & Luke) - READ NOW
Writing the Wolf (Rosa & Caleb) - READ NOW
Inking the Wolf - coming July 2017)
Witches of the Woods
Witch Hunter - READ NOW
Coven - READ NOW
The Curse (coming in 2016)
Want to be informed when the next Steffanie Holmes paranormal romance story goes live? Sign up for the mailing list to get the scoop, and a free book to enjoy!
Writing the Wolf: A wolf shifter paranormal romance (Wolves of Crookshollow Book 2) Page 23