The Mating Ritual (11 page)

The Oh-Mah were always on the move, staying
well away from civilization. They made their homes mostly in caves
or old mines, using the shelters while they were on the move.
Cormac’s clan consisted of three separate family units that didn’t
always travel together. They met up once a year, usually in the
spring, finished the journey to the Catskills, Adirondacks, and
sometimes even as far as Maine and Canada, depending on the
weather.

She learned that there were other Oh-Mah
communities in the mountains. Most were friendly, some weren’t as
advanced and kept to themselves, but they all spoke the same
primitive language and got along for the most part. In spite of
their volatile nature, they were shy, unthreatening people, and
just wanted to be left alone. She’d known early on that they went
to great means to keep their existence a secret. They burned their
dead, and scattered their ashes in the mountains they loved.

A noise drew Toni’s attention back to Cormac.
He was adding another fish to his pouch, and then began walking
toward her. She reached for a handful of blueberries in the basket
next to her, letting her gaze drop down his body and back up again.
“Did you catch enough fish for the mating ritual tonight?” She
popped the berries into her mouth.

Cormac said nothing. He removed the pouch
from around his waist, dropped it to the ground, then grabbed Toni
and dragged her to the ground with him.

She swallowed the berries quickly. “Cormac!”
she scolded. “We’re not alone.”

“Then don’t look at me like that,” he said
right before covering her mouth with his. He rolled so that Toni
was on top of him. As his kiss grew with passion, his hands ran
through her hair, undoing the long, thick braid.

Once the kiss ended, Toni made a show at
looking around them to see who might be watching. Three men in the
water were still focused on fishing.

“They are busy,” he grumbled, nuzzling her
neck. His hands smoothed down her backside to where the hide she
was wearing ended at the backs of her thighs. Toni felt his fingers
teasing her skin as he moved beneath her clothes.

“I wasn’t talking about them,” Toni smiled.
She pushed off Cormac and sat back upon the ground. He just lay
there, smiling up at her. “Would you like some berries? They are
plump and sweet.”

His gaze fell to her breasts, as she knew
they would. “Yes they are very plump and sweet,” he agreed.

Toni felt her nipples peak from his hard look
as she reached into the basket. Her smile faded when she realized
that it was empty.
Damn, I ate them all!
She quickly jumped
to her feet, which wiped the sensual grin right off Cormac’s face.
“Wait right here while I go get some more.” She grabbed up the
basket and rushed off before he could stop her.

Thank goodness, the blueberry patch was close
by. Toni picked off a couple of big handfuls for Cormac, humming as
she went along. A rustle in the bushes had her turning with worry,
until her gaze landed on the two lovers, Malik and Sunie.
They’d
snuck away to be together!
Considering their mating ritual was
that very night, Toni was surprised that they hadn’t been watched
more closely.

Toni was thankful that Malik had gotten over
his crush on her, and had found someone he could be happy with.
Sunie was a big-boned, beautiful woman who seemed to be able to
handle his rough ways. These days Malik barely spared Toni a
glance, and when he did, it was impersonal and almost friendly. She
couldn’t help wondering if someone would challenge Malik for Sunie
at the ritual that night.

She headed back to where she’d left Cormac
and came to a dead stop when he came into view. Instant tears
filled Toni’s eyes, and her heart swelled to near bursting. He was
still lying on his back, and had apparently fallen asleep, but
first he’d taken their two-month-old daughter Rosy out of her
basket and set her on his great chest, where she was now sleeping.
Cormac’s hand was gentle against her little back to keep her from
rolling off.

It was special moments like this when Toni
wished that she had a camera, but she knew that this vision of
Cormac and Rosy would remain forever in her mind and heart. She
quietly made her way to them, lying next to Cormac. He didn’t speak
or open his eyes, but his arm engulfed Tony, drawing her closer to
him. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her life was complete.

The End

BISHOP’S ANGEL

Blurb – After ten years of sacrificing
everything for his country as a Navy SEAL, Bishop is looking for
salvation, and something more permanent in his life. Angel, a
pretty kindergarten teacher, thinks she's just what he needs. Their
chemistry is instant, and explosive, only Bishop has trouble
letting go of his commitment to his country. It's up to Angel to
prove there's room for her in his life.

Excerpt-

“
The police are on the way, ma’am.
Where is the intruder now?” the operator asked.

Angel listened for a moment. “He’s still in the
kitchen.”

“
Is the intruder male?”

“
No, no!” Angel said, and then
quickly lowered her voice when she realized she’d spoken too loud.
“I don’t know if it’s a woman or a man.” She’d been too afraid to
look when she had the chance. Movement coming from the kitchen told
her the intruder was still there, but for how long? She was
crouched at the end of the couch, too afraid to turn around,
frightened that at any moment she would be discovered. “Please
hurry!”

“
They’re on their way. Stay calm
and—”

“
I think he’s in the room with
me!” Angel’s eyes rounded with fear when she sensed someone moving
up behind her.

“
Ma’am stay on—”

Angel knew the intruder was behind her now. She
stood up, whipped around and slammed her phone into the side of his
head with a piercing scream. All she could make out was a tall,
dark outline.

“
What the fuck—” a male voice
boomed.

Angel let out another scream and slammed her hands
against a massive chest, shoving him away from her as hard as she
could. Her only thought was making it back upstairs to the safety
of her room until the police arrived, but the second her palms
landed on the man’s rock-hard chest she knew she was in trouble. He
stumbled back but she had a feeling it was due more to her catching
him by surprise than the force of her push.

She scooted around him but suddenly his hands were
on her, and for a moment they struggled against each other. Angel
was hyped up on adrenaline and a strong sense of survival, and she
used her nails and teeth on the naked arms and powerful hands
trying to subdue her. It gained her enough freedom to make it to
the stairs but halfway up she found her ankle being grabbed, she
fell, and then she was pinned beneath a heavy weight.

“
No!” she cried out, struggling
wildly against him. But she was no match for his superior strength
and the honed muscles she felt beneath her hands. In no time his
hands had wrapped around her wrists, and she was pinned against the
stairs.

“
Who the hell are you?” he
demanded, his face too close to hers.

“
Who the hell
are
 
you
?” Angel demanded right back,
twisting beneath him. It was then she felt cool air in places that
she shouldn’t, reminding her that all she had on was a thin
nightshirt and a pair of bikini panties. Judging by the super hard
pecks she felt pressed against her breasts, her shirt had come
undone, too. An insane thought crossed her mind, why he wasn’t
wearing a shirt. She wiggled wildly, unintentionally scraping her
nipples across his flesh.

“
Stop before you get hurt!” he
growled. In an effort to subdue her he pressed his body against
hers.

“
Then get off me!” Angel hissed,
arching her body in an effort to throw him off her. His muscled
thighs and powerful legs flexed against hers, easily holding hers
still.

“
Not until you tell me who you
are,” he grated in a rough voice.

His warm breath slapped her in the face. “I live
here,” Angel said without hesitation, glaring up into his shadowed
face. She was aware there was no way he could see her because it
was too dark.

“
The hell you do.”

How did he know
that?
 
“The
police are on their way so I suggest you let me up and get out of
here.” Her energy was beginning to wane. He was too strong and big,
and the longer they remained like that, the more she began to feel
uncomfortable with their intimate proximity.

“
Good. Then we can get to the
bottom of this.”

That wasn’t the kind of response an intruder would
make if he were caught in someone else’s house. Maybe he was
delusional or something. Angel decided to switch tactics. “These
stairs are hurting me,” she said weakly.

Things grew still between them and she sensed his
silent contemplation, as if he were wondering if he should believe
her. She whimpered a little for good measure.

“
Okay, I’m going to let you up,
but don’t try anything stupid,” he warned.

The second he released her and lifted off her body,
Angel got to her feet and dashed the rest of the way up the
stairs.

“
Son of a bitch!” he cursed behind
her.

Angel slammed and locked her
bedroom door in his face. She didn’t know what she hoped to
accomplish, except to get away from him until the police
arrived.
 
What was taking them so long?
 
She ran to one of the windows
and opened it. Maybe she could push out a screen and—

Without warning her bedroom door was kicked in. She
screamed and made a beeline for her connecting bathroom.

“
Oh, no, you don’t.”

A muscular arm wrapped around Angel’s waist and she
was lifted off her feet. “Let me go!” She wiggled and kicked, very
much aware that her butt was against a very intimate part of his
body. Burning heat replaced the fear flowing through her blood
because his cock wasn’t as flaccid as it should have been.

“
Look,” he slammed her down onto
the bed and for the second time she found herself pinned beneath
his superior strength. “Before this goes any further I think we
need to talk.”

“
You can talk to the police,” she
panted, twisting beneath him.

“
I intend to,” he said without
hesitation. There was a confidence in his tone that surprised
her.

Without warning he reached up and
turned on the reading light at the head of the
bed.
 
How did
he know that was there?
 
Meeting eyes the color of blue
topaz, everything in Angel froze, including her
breath.
 
Oh
God, I know those eyes!
 
She didn’t know the man
personally, but she knew of him from the pictures on the fireplace
mantle downstairs. He was Diana’s older brother, and Navy SEAL
Bishop Strong. Suddenly everything made perfect sense.

After six years, he’d finally come home!

****

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

coming 2014

Reaching a milestone in her life,
Lana’s friends have arranged for something special for her
fiftieth birthday. Dragging her to a popular nightclub, they
arrange for a lap dance from one of the male strippers. The very
male stripper she’s been secretly admiring for months.

Joe’s been admiring Lana, too, as
she hides out in a dark corner of the bar. Overhearing her friends
planning her birthday is his opportunity to finally meet the shy
beauty. Only one lap dance isn’t all Joe wants from Lana. He talks
her into going home with him, promising to make her birthday
celebration one she’ll never forget.

****

SCENT OF A WOLF’S MATE

coming 2014

Accepting a job as a wildlife veterinarian
at the Savage Wolf Sanctuary is Serena's dream job. Finding out
she's the mate of Savage Hill's alpha werewolf turns her world as
she knows it upside down. Trying to resist the sexy man is
impossible. She's in heat, and he's more than ready to claim what's
his.