It’s Teaser Tuesday again!

With less than 2 weeks to the Feb 29th release of  my upcoming erotic paranormal romance, Siren’s Snare, it’s time to share another snippet from this tasty novel. (Sorry, no explicit content on the bloggy blog, you’ll just have to nab a copy to read that teehee)

So here’s where we left off last week:

“Are you really going to spend your break with him?”

“Yeah. It’s a public place and I have you here to protect me. What could go wrong?”

“Famous last words. I thought you were done with men. The whole Chris thing isn’t annoying enough?”

“It’s my fault. He keeps telling me he doesn’t want a relationship. I keep coming back for more. I don’t know why, but when I’m around him or he calls, it’s like my IQ plunges.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Yeah, I need to get it together.” Despite her reservations, she continued to eye Savaunt.

Keri hugged her once the last customer walked away. “You’re so much better than all the guys out there, and somehow you find all the jerks. Remember Bosco?”

“Ugh.” Lena rolled her eyes and hid her face in her hands.

“I mean, with a name like Bosco, he should’ve come with a warning label.”

“So I have terrible taste in men.” She turned her back on the café and stared at Keri’s skeptical face. “But I found them.” A nod at Savaunt brought her confidence back. “He found me.”

“There are other alternatives.” Keri winked at her.

“I wish.” She laughed. “I’d make a rocking lesbian, and I love all your girlfriends, but not like that. I’m a sucker for men. Can’t help it.”

“I don’t know why you bother with them.”

“Masochism?”

A slap on her bottom from Keri made her laugh louder than she’d intended. She highly valued her friendship. They’d met as kids in foster care, and had been sworn BFFs until the system had torn them apart. By chance they’d found each other again when applying at the coffee shop at the same time years back. Since then, no one mattered more to her.

Without Keri’s approval, Lena considered blowing Savaunt off, but then he smiled and waved. Something about him spoke to her. She decided she deserved to give herself the opportunity to have just one conversation with him.

The clock seemed to slow as she waited to take her break. Does time disapprove as well? Her heart pounded in her chest when she left Keri to handle things. Doing her best not to seem desperate, she approached his table at an easy pace.

What am I doing?

His bright green gaze followed her as she made her way to him.

“Hi.” She sat down curious to know more about this oddly compelling man.

“You are to rest between your tasks, yes?”

Who is this guy? She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. “Yeah.”

“Shouldn’t you have sustenance to maintain your strength?”

“Oh.” Her voice lowered as she sank into her seat and fidgeted with her apron. “I don’t usually need much.”

“I insist.” He stood and went to Keri at the counter. When he returned he carried a muffin and set it before her.

Her mouth watered. It was her favorite: orange cranberry. “You didn’t need to do that.”

Studying his face, she couldn’t figure him out. Behind the warm exterior lurked something foreign, unknown. “Please.” He gestured for her to eat.

She broke off a small piece and placed it in on her tongue to let the sugar melt in her mouth. Once it slipped passed her lips she wasn’t sure what to say. “Thanks. Want some?”

He leaned back as she held it out to him. “No, thank you.” Every sound uttered from his mouth seemed to burst with untamed song.

“Avoiding carbs?”

“Carbs?”

“You know. Sugar, keeping fit?”

“I prefer meat.”

“Ah, definitely not a vegan then?”

“A vegan?”

“You know, avoid meat and anything that comes from animals?”

“Is that possible?”

She laughed. The way he delivered his words with a precise pronunciation set her skin tingling. She got the idea he had no other interests than her at the moment. “I guess. I tried it once to see if I could lose a little weight. Clearly I stopped caring.” She gestured to her hips.

What is wrong with me? Embarrassment struck her as she said too much. Great. I turn stupid in his presence too. Maybe I should try to find a woman. Before her train of thought could continue, his eyes widened with disbelief.

“Lena…”He grasped her hand and held it firm. “You are perfect. Your body is shaped like that of a queen.”

No one had ever told her that before. Chris had no problem letting her know he thought she was too chubby to be good enough arm candy for him to take her out. It was one of the reasons she’d decided to try and avoid him. Bosco had often vocalized his wish that she should be a little thicker. She liked herself as she was. She enjoyed keeping active with outdoor activities like jogging and swimming, but she also loved to sit down to a hearty meal and fill up without obsessing over her body.

“Perfect, huh?”

He didn’t waver.

“Where are you from?” She found herself desperate to learn more about him so she could understand his thought process.

“The Pacific Islands.”

With a squint, she pursed her lips.

“My kind originated in the Mediterranean, but have long-since found ourselves taken care of on our Island in the Pacific.”

Turning over his words while trying not to lose herself in the trill of his voice, she asked, “What’s it like there?”

A distant look overcame him, and he spoke as if worlds away. “The air is as crisp and clear as the sea on a summer morn. Waves sound against the shore like beating drums meant to steady a pulsing heart. Best of all, one can swim and fish without concern.”

In his words she found peace. “We may not have that here, but the beach isn’t far. It’s my favorite escape.” Her voice came out in a dreamy tone.

“Ah, so you swim?”

“It’s like flying in water. I was raised in foster homes and didn’t have much of anything for myself. As soon as I was old enough, I worked to get my own place and I visit the shore whenever I want. It’s a little cold, but the best freedom.”

“Freedom, yes.” His wistful expression changed, and he furrowed his brow. “What are foster homes?”

“Oh.” The darkness of her childhood pulled her from his penetrating gaze, and she glanced away. “They’re homes people have opened to children who don’t have anyone to care for them.”

“So you’re an orphan?”

“Yes.” After all her years of coming to terms with her struggles, a sharp pain still entered her chest.

The soft caress of his hand gave her comfort as he brushed the hair from her face.

“What about you?” She straightened her posture and allowed herself to meet his eyes once more. “Do you have a family? A wife?” Raising an eyebrow, she searched for a flaw.

“No special lady, yet.” A twinkle shined out of his eye as he winked. “But I have a large brood—I mean, family. We call it a brood back home. Lots of brothers, and I still keep my father’s memory alive.”

“That’s beautiful.” A strange sadness crept over her. “How long ago did he pass?”

“Oh, just a few decades.”

Jumping back in her seat, she scrunched up her face. “You must’ve been very young.”

“I’m older than I look.”

His reveal alarmed her. She had dated a significantly older man before. He had preyed upon her. Pushing out her seat, she stood up to go. It confused her when he did the same. “I better get back to work,” she offered, keeping her defenses up.

“I see.” His voice enticed her once more. “May I see you again?”

She hesitated. He’d captured her mind, but she didn’t wish to open herself up to a strange man, no matter how handsome he was. “I don’t know.”

“Will you be here tomorrow?”

Lena could have sworn she saw waves rise and fall in his hypnotic, deep-sea-tinted eyes. She couldn’t look away, but nodded, and he smiled with such character that her walls were struck down.

“Same time?”

Again she nodded. Then he did something no man had ever done to her. He raised her hand to his lips, and pressed them to it ever so gently. “I shall return.”
Her knees began to lose strength as she grew lightheaded. She walked over to the
counter and leaned on it with a sigh. Her ears rang with his words, your body is shaped like that of a queen.

“Welcome back to earth.” Keri sobered her into functionality.

With her eyes wide, Lena focused on breathing. “He is something.”

“Umm hmm.”

“No, Keri, you saw him. He’s different.”

“Good different, or bad different?”

“I don’t know.”

“He probably wants to sell you into sex slavery.”

She locked eyes with Keri’s dark skeptical look and laughed with her.

Once they caught their breath, Keri shrugged. “No man comes without a catch.”

“No woman either? I’ve heard you argue with your girlfriends. It’s like cats fighting in an alley at two o’clock in the morning.” Another good laugh still couldn’t push Savaunt from her mind.

“You like him.” Keri grew serious.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. I saw the way you nearly swooned.”

The café customers had thinned out and Lena allowed herself to admit it. “He’s made quite an impression on me.”

“At least you can forget about Chris now.”

“Oh God, Chris. I forgot about him.”

“Exactly. I don’t trust this Savaunt guy, but he sure does seem to make you feel better about yourself than any of the assholes you’ve messed around with in the past few years.”

“I don’t need a man to make me feel anything about myself.” Lena stood tall and tried to focus on work.

That’s it for now! Pop in next week for the last teaser before release day!!