Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts by Natalie Acres

Kevin opened the door wide and kept an open palm on his lower back right next to his gun. He focused on the man in front of him, but his eyes didn’t stop moving around the yard. If someone else was out there, he wanted to see them before any shots were fired.

“Can I help you?”

Riley was behind him with a pistol lowered to his side out of the visitor’s view.

“Sure,” he said in a slow drawl. He turned around and studied Kevin before he acknowledged Riley with a tilt of his head. “Mighty cold out here. Do you fellows always run around without a shirt in the dead of winter?”

Kevin started to say something.

Riley beat him to it.

“What can we help you with?” Riley asked. This time he stepped away from the door, enough to let their visitor see his weapon.

Amused, he glanced down and then said, “I’m here to see Sydney.”

“Sydney is busy,” Riley snapped. “Real, busy.”

“She is?” he asked in a deep baritone voice before adding a chuckle. “I imagine you’re right. I bet little Sydney has her hands full here.”

“Yes, she does,” Riley said defensively. “Can I relay a message to her?”

Kevin studied the man in front of them. Something was strangely familiar about him. He didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t spot a vehicle anywhere. Then again, the guy may have walked in from the gates. He might have the access codes if he worked for Sam, but why the hell would he bother in this weather?

“Are you from around here?” Kevin asked before the guy had the time to answer Riley.

“Yeah, I am. Just tell her Brock stopped by. She knows me and she knows I’ll be around.”

“Brock, you gotta a last name?” Riley stuck his hand out in an attempt to shake it and knowing Riley, tug him inside and start a good ole southern brawl.

“Yeah, I do.” He said when he reached for Riley’s hand, took it and shook it. “It’s Brock Donovan,” he let the dark glasses fall to the bridge of his nose. “I’m your brother,” he nodded at Sydney as she nearly tumbled down the stairs when she heard the news. “And she’s my girl.”

Breakfast by the Sea is Coming to Siren Publishing on November 17th

Erotic Cowboy Ménage a Trois/Quatre Romance, M/F/M/M/M/M, M/F/M, May-December, Suspense

Five tough operatives fall fast for a woman they’re supposed to eliminate. When the team discovers Paige Lambert is in fact the Queen of Hearts, they can’t ignore their handler’s orders. Will the Queen of Hearts die for her past crimes or will she end up under the protective custody of the men hired to kill her?

Excerpt:

He felt like he’d just laid eyes on her for the first time. He started at her chin, noticing the way the dark brown hair curved under her jaw, a lock of hair so delicate but there nonetheless, like it was clinging for dear life. Was that what Paige was doing? Was she frightened? Was she running scared?

His gaze traveled down her long, slender neck. He admired how she held her head high, the structure of her slender collarbone leading to a bare chest with plenty for a man to enjoy. Before he indulged too much, Paige knelt down and retrieved her clothes, shrugging into a sports bra, one she had to yank over those full mounds in order to secure them.

Damn. She was right. Snapping that neck of hers would be a terrible waste.

That’s when his mouth watered. Why hadn’t he gawked when she’d been topless? And why did he find her sexy as all fucking hell right then?

Her flat stomach made him itch. He’d love to kiss around her sunken belly button and insinuate a slow sex act, make her arch for him, beg him for more.

Finally, he studied the band of her shorts. What he’d give to lick and tease his way a little lower, strip away those shorts and show her what she’d been missing. Maybe in her body, he’d find what he’d been looking for all along. Perhaps he needed to fuck a woman he wasn’t later expected to kill. Then again, he couldn’t be so sure that order wouldn’t come.

Stop thinking!

“Is something wrong?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

“No,” he replied, storming ahead of her. Suddenly, he wondered why she followed him then when she hadn’t trailed behind him before. He stopped, turned around, and shook his finger again. “Don’t you dare run. I’d like to have breakfast before we do that again.”

“Okay,” she said, catching up and walking beside him. “Want to answer my question now?”

“Which one?”

“How can you keep up with me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he growled.

“I’m asking.”

“I’m in great shape.”

“I can tell.”

Jeff stopped at the bottom of the steps. “Is that you coming on to me?”

She sashayed by him. “No, Jeff. That was me trying to figure out how I can outrun you next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” he told her, grabbing her from behind and slamming her against the steps, bracing her back with his large hands.

His breath matched hers. The move knocked the wind out of both of them.

“Now what?”

“I’m not going to kiss you,” he said, thinking he wouldn’t put up much of a fight if she laid one on him.

She moistened her lips. “I didn’t think so,” she whispered, arching her neck. “What if I kiss you?”

“Is that what you’re planning to do? You have the rest of these guys by the balls, and since I’m not turning tricks to taste the pudding, what ’cha gonna do, darlin’, offer me a spoon?”

“I don’t understand your riddles,” she stated flatly, licking those full, enticing lips once more.

“Let me give you a warning. I’m the real thing, sweetheart. I’m in Jekyll Island to work. It’s something all of us do very well when we don’t have a distraction. Now, since I’ve been assigned to you for the time being, I’m setting you straight. You’ll do what I tell you, and you’ll do it with a wide smile to boot. Understand?”

“Or you’ll what?”

“I told you what I’d do. If you want to see how much I enjoy skinny-dipping, pull one of your stunts again. I’ll drag you into that ocean and make sure every tourist within ten miles hears you when you scream.”

“I already heard the guys talking. You wouldn’t rape me,” she said, narrowing her gaze and proving then that she wasn’t so sure.

“Rape? Hell, no. You’ll respond to me like a bitch in heat. I have a way about me.”

“Really? Who would’ve thought?” she asked diabolically, moving her lips to his ear. “Who can I ask to verify this? Hmm? Have you left any of your past lovers alive? Because if you have, I’d love to give them a call and invite them to join me for tea.”

Siren Publishing's Latest Western Title Bridled and Branded Released June 23rd and Becomes a Natalie Acres Favorite Among Western MFM Romance Readers

Lynlee Lewis is an old-fashioned girl who might as well take the lead in a modern day romance. She met a boy, when he was just a boy. She fell in love, but he barely noticed. Now, Lynlee wants to place a woman’s brand on Blaine McCain, but will his past prevent her from staking a claim?

Lynlee’s storybook romance isn’t without its villains and obstacles. Add in the fact that Blaine rarely travels behind a bedroom door without company and Lynlee wonders why she’s so taken by the cowboy in the first place.

Throw in a deadly situation and Lynlee finds herself in the midst of danger when a knife is shoved against her throat. Worse still, the man behind the blade is traveling with a wife who is no stranger to Blaine McCain. And they want to turn Blaine 's life upside down with a package full of problems.

The following excerpt is an unedited clip from Bridled and Branded by Natalie Acres:

“You wanted our attention,” Rhett began. “You got it. What do you want?”

Blaine released him. “Yeah, what’s so damn important that you’d go to this extreme?”

His eyes watered. “My Sarah Beth passed away last week.”

“She what?” Rhett asked, compassion settling in his eyes, which Blaine had rarely seen.

“She passed away.”

“What happened?” Blaine asked, feeling a little odd since he had been one of the participants in the ménage experience with Rhett and Sarah Beth.

“She jumped off a bridge,” Sarah Beth’s husband explained.

“She did what?”

“Told you she was touched in the head,” Rhett reminded Blaine .

“You’re the one who brought her home,” Blaine said, jumping to his feet and backing away before her husband took an opportunity to deck him. “She wasn’t even that pretty, best I remember.”

“Blaine McCain, I ought to kick your ass right here,” Lynlee said, studying her captor. “Sir, I’m sorry for your loss. I really am. It’s a shame these two didn’t have a gentleman’s sense of values to keep their cocks in their pants, if not their hands, but you see here, you can’t blame your wife’s actions on two men who barely knew her.”

“Lynlee, so help me God, I don’t need your eloquent way of taking up for me,” Blaine said.

“No, you don’t. What you need are some manners and maybe even a conscience, but I doubt you’ll find either tonight.”

Rhett snickered. “You got that right.”

Lynlee extended her hand. “I’m Lynlee Lewis, by the way. We met at the party, and you said your name is Scott Sanders, but I take it that’s not your real name?”

“Yes,” he said, taking her hand. “The name is Scott Sanders. Sarah Beth was my lovely wife.”

“Well, I’m sure she knew how much you loved her,” Lynlee said, backing away from the situation and making it evident in the finality of her tone. “Gentleman, I’ve had a long night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Blaine looked at Rhett and then Scott. Rhett nodded and Blaine said, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll say your peace and leave.”

Scott shifted his weight. “I wanted to look directly at the two men responsible for Sarah Beth’s downfall and see if I found even a smidgen of remorse. I blame you for what happened, and I can’t understand what she ever saw in either one of you.”

“Good thing,” Rhett said. “I don’t buck that way.”

Blaine ignored his friend and addressed his enemy. “I’m walking Lynlee back to her camper. If you go near her again,” he paused, set his jaw, and then grated out, “I will harm you in a way you’ll never forget.”

“I don’t want an escort, Blaine,” Lynlee snipped. “And I sure don’t need you to hold my hand.”

“Well, ain’t that a blessed shame? Besides, I need you to hold mine.”

Natalie Acres is the best selling author of the Cowboy Sex Series which includes Sex Party, Sex Games, and Sex Camp. She’s also the author of the #1 Amazon Best Selling Western/Erotica title Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts which now has a sequel, Cowboy Boots and Unfinished Business. To find out more about Natalie Acres, visit her on MySpace at www.myspace.com/natalieacres. To view more information on Bridled and Branded go to: http://www.bookstrand.com/bridled-and-branded



Copyright © 2010 Natalie Acres

Research Topic: So how do you feel about an open marriage?

I’m working on a special project and would like input from time to time and this is your chance to give me yours. In May, I posted a topic about love and romance. Today, I want to know your views on open marriage.

Can an open marriage work for a committed couple? And if so, what kind of commitment is found in an open marriage?

Since I write a lot of ménage romance, I’ve often thought about the concept of an open marriage. I wonder how well it actually works for the couples agreeing to such a liberal arrangement.

Personally, I believe that there must be something substantial missing from a relationship when two people reach an understanding for an open marriage. However, I'm not closed to the idea that a mutual understanding for an open marriage could potentially save a relationship. But once that line is crossed, the couple should understand they no longer have a textbook marriage but something else altogether.

Let’s consider the reasons for an open marriage too. Why do couples find an open marriage necessary? Are there valid reasons? I’m assuming there are often plenty. Maybe one partner didn’t offer the other what they needed behind closed doors. Maybe the other refused to give their partner the kind of love and compassion he or she needed. Perhaps the spice in life is gone and there’s nothing else to do but to move outside the marriage to find the excitement again. Could it be that the relationship is dead anyway and an arrangement is the last effort to save the relationship? And where does trust fit in?

Trust, I would think, isn’t in existence in an open marriage. Am I wrong? I’d love to know. I mean do those involved in an open marriage sit down and discuss their affairs? Do they compare notes? Or is it taboo for discussion?

When I was a teenager, there were some known ‘swingers’ in our hometown. On the outside looking in, I remember thinking these people were just like everyone else. Why? Well, they were just like everyone else. Believe it or not, they also seemed to have better marriages than everyone else. How can that be? Is it possible?

Today, we’re a divorce-friendly society. It’s easy to walk away from a marriage. I’m not suggesting divorce is easy from the emotional standpoint but rather from the legal aspect. Our laws, by and large, have made it possible to end a marriage without a lot of red tape in many states. Sure, if children are involved, the process of finalizing a divorce may take longer but overall, if someone isn’t happy in a marriage, they can walk out, seek legal advice, file the papers, and start the process within a few hours.

So when two people are unhappy, they divorce. On the other hand, what if a man and woman can't love one another anymore but they love the idea of family? What if two people can’t live together in harmony but decide it’s too hurtful to live apart because of children or even financial reasons? If an arrangement is made to have an open marriage, is it possible that this understanding can actually save a marriage and a family?

My mother is a romantic. She’s always been Miss Romance. In her world, love is wonderful. Love is romance and romance is one of her main reasons for living. Now, keep in mind, her marriages haven’t been ideal by any stretch of the imagination. Notice the plural form. Her husband isn’t necessarily romantic—by her own confirmation and not my suspicions—but she’s still a hopeless romantic dedicating her life to a committed relationship. I wonder—can romance be found in an open marriage?

Give this topic some thought. Tell me your views. With the demand for polyamory books rising, we have a lot of possibilities for discussion on the subject. Polyamory—the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at one time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved—tops romance charts. These books sell like hotcakes. Why? What do you think readers are looking for when they purchase one polyamory book after another? Sure, it’s fantasy—or is it? Should it be?

I want to hear your opinions. Let’s talk real life. In my opinion, there must be something really wrong in a marriage for one or both partners to step outside the marriage on a search for romance, satisfaction, and maybe even love and/or acceptance. When a person communicates their desire for an open marriage, maybe they’re saying to their partner, “There’s something wrong with us. Fix us.”

Is that a sound assumption or are these couples so unhappy that they’ll do anything to find a little joy in their lives again? Is it possible that an open marriage is the only solution, outside of divorce? Can a discreet open marriage save a family and if so, there’s no harm done, or is there?

Tell me what’s on your mind! I want to hear from you! ;)

Love and hugs,
Destiny Blaine
www.destinyblaine.com
http://destinyblaine.blogspot.com
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www.Twitter.com/DestinyBlaine