BLOG TAKEOVER: Daring Masquerade - Alannah Lynne

Thanks, Cara, for sharing your day with me and letting me talk about my new release, DARING MASQUERADE!

When I received an invitation to write one of the launch stories for the new Carly Phillips DARE TO LOVE Kindle World, I was stunned. I’ve been a Carly Phillips fan for as long as I’ve been a reader of romance, and being given the opportunity to play in her world, with her characters, was an opportunity I couldn't pass up – even though I only had five weeks to pull it off, and Christmas fell in the middle of it! LOL

I’d had the idea for Karma/Carmella for a while, but couldn't fit her into my Heat Wave series. After thinking on it for a few days, I figured out a way to connect her with Jonathon Ridgeway, from Carly’s DARE TO DESIRE, and the result is DARING MASQUERADE. I hope you enjoy this steamy excerpt taken from a scene on Jon’s sailboat, where Becca is about to receive a massage she’ll never forget! 

Blurb:

When a hired heartbreaker falls for her target, both their hearts are at risk…

For the past five years, Becca Irving (aka Carmella Jones, aka Karma) has worked as a hired heartbreaker, seeking revenge and justice against men who thoughtlessly hurt the women who love them. She expects her next mark to be just as callous, but Jon isn’t her typical target. He’s a good man with a loving nature and dominant streak that crushes her walls and tempts her into believing love can be real and lasting.

From the moment he lays eyes on the beguiling redhead, Jonathon Ridgeway is hooked. When a sensuous dance leads to an erotic weekend aboard his boat, he realizes he needs more than a brief affair with the complex and tantalizing woman.

But neither Jon nor Becca are who—or what—they seem. Will he be able to forgive her past actions? Can she overlook his? Or will they both be left brokenhearted by the secrets of their past?

Excerpt:

       The second Jon’s palms pressed against her shoulders, she got lost in the ecstasy of his touch. She exhaled with a long moan and sank another two inches into the cushions. His hands were large and firm, but not too rough, and as they slid across her skin, her stress level dropped from ten to two.

       God, it felt good to have another person—someone she was interested in—touching her. She hadn’t realized how little human contact she’d had until this moment. When working a con, she held the man’s hand or allowed him to wrap his arm around her shoulder. But they weren’t really touching her. And she certainly hadn’t enjoyed their touch. It was just part of the act she’d been forced to play.

      But this wasn’t an act, it wasn’t a con, and she wanted Jon to touch her everywhere.

     “Where’s your mind right now, Becca?” His tone was kind but firm, a gentle reminder for her to forget everything but his touch.

      How he knew she let her mind wander she didn't know. But she was grateful he called her out on it so she could strengthen her resolve to focus on nothing but him. 

     “It’s on you… your strong hands… the way they glide over my skin… down my spine, one vertebrae at a time.” She drew in a sharp breath and swallowed a sigh as he continued from the base of her spine to the crease of her ass. “I can’t tell you how good that feels.”

         He changed positions and got onto his knees, straddling her legs, and she imagined him preparing to enter her from behind. Electric heat pumped through her system and her sex swelled with anticipation. But rather than take her the way she wanted, he slowly, gently stroked a finger through the center of her folds.

      “Jesus, you’re wet.” His voice was strangled, and she sensed his struggle to maintain his control.

      She told him he could have her whenever he wanted, so why was he holding back? Maybe he needed a little more incentive. She shifted, spreading her legs as wide as she could, giving him a clear, open invitation.

      He chuckled and clamped his palm down over the rounded curve of her ass. “You’re a tease, you know that?”

     “I’m not teasing. I’m inviting. Don’t you want me?” Since when did she become so wanton, so desperate… so friggin’ breathy? God, she sounded like Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.”     

      He drew in a deep breath, then released it on a growl. “I couldn't want you more than I already do. But this is about you. Making you feel good. We’ll get to the mutual pleasure a little later.”

      She wiggled her ass again, teasing him more. “I’m pretty sure the mutual pleasure is going to make me feel good.” Tossing out a challenge, hoping to appeal to his ego and drive him to act, she said, “Am I wrong about that?”

      He leaned over and brushed his lips across her shoulder as his finger made another pass up her slit and through the center of her ass cheeks, causing her to arch her back and push against him, seeking more stimulation. 

“You’re so tempting, but this is happening on my terms. By the time I finish with you, you’ll have forgotten everything, including your name. And then you’ll beg me to do it all again.”

      He kissed the corner of her eye, her temple, then grasped her earlobe between his teeth and pulled. Not enough to hurt, but the tug, along with a quick slap on the ass, got her attention. A mixture of searing pain and pleasure shot into her sex, sparking a firebomb deep in her belly.

     “Oh God.” She groaned and arched and pushed her butt provocatively into the air.

     His low chuckle washed over her as he shifted around the extra pillow. “Slide this under your belly so that sweet ass stays up in the air.”

     She’d never been so exposed as when he pushed the pillow beneath her, but she also liked it. She didn't know why or what about the pose appealed to her, but she felt incredibly feminine and powerful knowing he was equally affected.

    “That was the last accommodation I’m making. Stay just like that and don’t move.”

     She reached back with her hand to grasp the knee planted beside her thigh, then tried to snake her hand under the leg of his boxer briefs. All she found, though, was frustration because the fabric was pulled too tight against his leg for her to gain access.

     Gripping her wrist, he pulled her hand up and over her head, then did the same with the other. She saw a couple pieces of rope mixed in with the blankets he brought up from the cabin and wondered if she subconsciously provoked him with the hopes he would tie her hands.

     The thought of being at his mercy caused her temperature to spike and adrenaline flooded her system. She’d never been bound before, but she trusted Jon and didn't doubt he would release her if it became too much. Her breathing grew labored as he slid the rope across the backs of her knuckles, tickling her.

     “You want them tied, don’t you?”

     She nodded but wasn't sure if he saw the movement with her hair a tangled mess around her head, so she swallowed, licked her lips, then whispered, “Yes.”

     He brushed her hair away from her face and studied her eyes. “I couldn't hear you. Did you say yes?” His voice was soft and gentle and at such odds with the intense heat and desire radiating from his eyes. Her stomach flopped like a fish out of water as she gave another jerky nod and mouthed the word again.

     He slipped a loop that looked like a noose around both wrists and pulled. It wasn't tight enough to hurt, and she hardly registered the feel of it against her skin. But when she tugged, testing its resistance, her hands barely moved. He slipped the end of the rope through a bar attached to the cabin in front of her, which kept her arms forward and eased the pressure on her shoulders, then ran the rope over to the cleat on top of the railing.

     She tried to see herself as he did: wrists bound, arms extended, ass in the air, legs spread, her sex exposed and ready for the taking whenever he chose.
     She’d never been so brazen and bold in her life, yet nothing had ever felt so right.

My husband and I used to sail, but I have to confess nothing like THIS ever happened! Maybe because we never went sailing without our kids. LOL After a few years, we sold the sailboat and got a motorboat. Which works way better for me because I get incredibly seasick. What about you? Have you ever been sailing? If not, would you like to give it a try? Or do you prefer the speed of a powerboat? One commenter will receive a copy of DARING MASQUERADE!!

Author bio:

Alannah believes there's nothing more magical than finding the other half of your soul, experiencing fiery passion, and knowing you've found happily-ever-after.

She loves going to work each day (in sweats and a T-shirt) and writing about hot heroes and feisty heroines who torment each other in the most delicious ways before finding their happy ending.

She lives in the coastal region of North Carolina with her husband, who also happens to be her best friend and biggest fan. They have two sons, a dog, and two cats.

To stay abreast of her current releases visit her website (www.alannahlynne.com) and sign up for her newsletter, or friend her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AlannahLynne), Twitter (https://twitter.com/alannahlynne), or Tsu (https://www.tsu.co/AlannahLynne).