10 of the Most
Romantic Moments from the Wolves of Willow Bend
One of the best parts of writing a series is that magic
moment when the characters click or discover their passion is reciprocated or
when they simply allow themselves to love…fortunately for me, I’ve had some
amazing couples to play with so here are the ten most romantic moments for me,
including a sneak peek at a great moment from River Wolf…
Wolf at
Law
|
“You need a lawyer, Tiffany.” Ryan was
still talking. She focused on him, on the breaths between his words and the
way his voice rolled around her, lulling her, enticing her to believe him.
“I’m a lawyer. What can I do for you?”
Kiss me. Shaking her head, she tried to
clear away the highly inappropriate thought. “I don’t know you.”
|
Wolf Bite
|
The invitation to his senses dropped a
match in his blood. She made no move to leave his arms. Instead, she reached
to put her wine glass down while looking at him from beneath lowered lashes.
“If you break my bed tonight, you are paying for a new one.”
“Deal.” And he slammed his mouth down on
hers.
|
Caged
Wolf
|
“I see you staring me,” she said, tracing
her fingers along his jaw and then up to outline the shape of his eyes. He
caught her hand and pressed her palm to his lips. The brush of his kiss to
her skin sent a quiver along her nerves. Everything in her went low, tight,
and hot. “You see me.”
“Yes.” So
much emotion vibrated in the single syllable. “I see you.” His irises blazed
blue, chasing the darkness away. He cupped her chin. Time slowed as he bent
his head and then his mouth closed over hers. Liquid heat raced through her
blood.
|
Wolf
Claim
|
Owen did more than kiss, he
devoured her like a man so starved and she softened, desperate to give him
everything.
Their
tongues tangled together. She savored the heat of him and the strength. Her
wolf stretched out inside her, shivering with the impatience. They’d waited a
long time for this male to chase them.
|
Wolf Next
Door
|
“So, if I want five minutes, one kiss
will do?”
He doubted the whole pack and a forklift
could dislodge him at that point. Heart in his throat, he stared at her,
mesmerized by the glow of her wolf peeking out from her eyes. His wolf wanted
to rub against her and he gave into the urge and trailed his knuckles down
her cheek. She didn’t pull away, and his heart squeezed at the display of
trust. “Even the promise of one is enough.”
Her tongue flicked out over her lips,
moistening them. The action drew him like a predator seeing the first real
movement of his prey. “I think actions speak louder than words.”
|
Rogue
Wolf
|
“Asshole.”
No sooner
did the word leave her lips than he pounced and she was in his arms. His
mouth slammed onto hers. Possession stamped every motion of his lips on hers.
When his tongue swept across the seam of her lips, demanding entrance she
opened to him. Every defense she possessed shattered under the onslaught.
He’d
warned her all she had to do was say the word, and he’d meant it.
|
Bayou
Wolf
|
“In life,
there is no such thing as the right time.” A kiss to his swollen eye. “Or the
right place.” A nuzzle to the corner of his mouth. “Only the right wolf.”
|
Untamed
Wolf
|
“Oh,
babe, stupid boys don’t know how to kiss right.”
“Really?”
She sniffed once, then a tremulous smile curved her lips. “Do you know how to
kiss right?”
“I don’t
know,” he whispered. “You tell me.” Then he closed his mouth on hers.
|
Wolf with
Benefits
|
Satisfaction filled his smile, then he
kissed her. A soft brush of his lips to hers and she groaned. “Matt, you’re
killing me. We’re supposed to be pretending…” And he was sending her hormones
into overdrive. How was she supposed to look at him like her best friend if
she kept lusting after him?
“I’m not
pretending.”
|
River
Wolf
|
Moistening her lips was a reflex, but the
way his gaze locked on her mouth sent a fresh zing of sensation through her
already overwrought system. “You have to stop looking at me like you want to
eat me up.”
“But I do want to eat you up—and down and
anywhere else we may find ourselves.”
She was about to be a puddle. Closing her
eyes, she tipped her head back. Maybe if she didn’t stare at him, she’d get
her shit together. “You’re not helping.”
“You said no more kissing.”
“Actually, what I said was hold it, Magic
Mouth.”
“True…” Before she could fully process
the admission, his mouth closed on hers and she groaned at the invasion of
his tongue. He cradled her face in his hands, giving her no escape from the
onslaught devastating her system. When he finally released her lips, his gaze
fixed on hers and his dark eyes gleamed, as if they glowed from within.
“Where would you like me to hold my Magic Mouth now?”
|
Wolves of Willow Bend
River Wolf
Releasing August 25, 2015
Brett
Dalton, Alpha of Hudson River, isolated himself from his pack mates after one
betrayed him. The once, easygoing Alpha has become taciturn, remote and
unforgiving. His pack worries for him, but they too have suffered a devastating
blow. When several members leave to join Three Rivers, the pack faces the
threat of dissolution until Brett’s best friend and Lone Wolf, Luc Danes
returns to Hudson River accompanied by a beautiful young human—or is she?
Something about the woman consumes Brett. Has Luc come home to help or to take
the pack from Brett?
Colby
Jensen wrapped up thousands of hours of community service working at the
hospital in Maine when an injured Luc Danes rolled through the door. The
impossible patient drove the nurses crazy, but when Danes offered her money no
strings attached to drive him to New York, she agreed. The last thing she
expected was to arrive in the small Westchester County town and to meet the
craziest collection of residents—especially the devastatingly sexy Brett
Dalton. Part of her wants to hit the road, the rest wants to make him smile and
he keeps making excuses for her to stay.
Then
she sees the wolves...and is exposed to a world she can barely imagine. When
Brett discovers a secret about her, nothing will be the same again. Now she
will find herself torn between a world she isn’t sure she can understand and
the man who has taken her heart hostage...
Find excerpt for Heather Long’s River Wolf below
River Wolf
Release Date: August 25,
2015
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1KC6H4P
All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-riverwolf-1859734-168.html
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/river-wolf-heather-long/1122426868?ean=2940151088350
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/river-wolf
Focus on Willow Bend
Series Reading Order:
Wolf
at Law (Prequel)
Book 1: Wolf Bite
Book 2: Caged Wolf
Book 3: Wolf Claim
Book 3.5: Wolf Next Door
Book 4: Rogue Wolf
Book 5: Bayou Wolf
Book 6: Untamed Wolf
Book 6.5: Wolf with Benefits
Book 7: River Wolf
Book 7.5: Single, Wicked Wolf
(releasing in October)
Book 8: Desert Wolf (releasing
later in 2015)
About the Author:
Heather Long
National
bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science
fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are
filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime.
From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might
switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive
the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her
time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your
heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so
likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll
enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
Contact Details:
Website:
http://www.heatherlong.net
Email:
heather@heatherlong.net
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthor
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/HVLong
Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/iKxQ5
Excerpt of River Wolf by
Heather Long:
Brett had been on a call when the car pulled into his drive.
His pack knew to let themselves in, and he didn’t have time for strangers so
he’d ignored the knock and the doorbell ring. The unfamiliar feminine call of
‘hello’ alerted him to the stranger entering his house. Surprise followed by
fury rushed through him. Then she called again, but he missed the rest of her
sentence thanks to three people talking at once on the conference call. Ending
it, he informed his executives he’d call them back.
Her “Hallelujah!” beckoned him. Silent, he stalked through the house to the
kitchen and discovered the young woman dripping water on the tile floor as she
lifted the handset from the cradle. Instead of dialing, however, she stared at
the phone with a troubled expression.
Everything about her assaulted him—her fresh raindrops on
blades of green grass aroma occluded by the scent of gasoline, male wolf, and
injury. The male he identified almost immediately, despite the troubling
mixture. Luc.
“What the hell am I doing here?” she asked aloud. The last
word came out more heyah than here, but he understood.
“That’s a very good question.” No artifice disguised her
shock. She flung the phone at him and he caught it. The force of the throw
impressed him, as the phone slapped against the palm of his hand. Her pulse
beat a frenetic pace and her eyes widened as she locked gazes with him.
Close enough to touch her, he stilled. If she were Luc’s
ride, she might have a reason for being present—then again where the hell was
Luc? Zeroing in on the flare of her dilating pupils, his wolf surged beneath
his skin. The rush of his animal powered through him. Inhaling a lungful of her
scent, he tested what he’d already learned about her and couldn’t identify what
agitated the fuck out of his wolf.
Not discounting his wolf’s intuition, he narrowed his focus.
Strangers were all suspect until proven otherwise. “I’ll only ask you nicely
once. Who are you and what are you doing here?” Stephen warned him when she and
Luc stopped at the service station, but he’d been under the impression Luc was
awake.
“I…” She choked on the word, paling beneath her natural skin
tone. No tan would give her the look of brushed amaretto though the deep black
of her hair and the natural slant of her eyes suggested an Asian origin. All
fascination with her appearance aside, she still hadn’t answered.
Raising his eyebrows, he held her gaze. More impressive, she
didn’t look away. However, her fascination didn’t provide him with a response
any quicker.
“I’m—I brought Luc.” The stutter underscored her honesty.
Point to her.
“Where is he then?”
The second question managed what the first failed. She shook
off her stupor. With a blink, she jerked her gaze from his. “He’s in the car
and he’s unconscious. I was calling for an ambulance.” The shaken tone vanished
to be replaced by one far more capable. “He needs assistance. This whole fool’s
errand has endangered him.” Reclaiming the phone, she muttered. “Damn man got
me into this mess…”
“Put the phone down.” Her irritation satisfied him. No one
else he knew could engender equal parts of affection and irritation as Luc did.
“We’ll help him here.”
“Did you not hear me? He’s unconscious.” Worry tinged the
words.
After narrowing the distance between them, he took the phone
from her and replaced it in the cradle. “I heard you. I’ll take care of him.
You’re damp, and you seem a bit cold. Come, we’ll get him inside then you can
warm up with a fire.”
Her scent offered more confusion—hope flared beneath layers
of disbelief and annoyance. “He needs a doctor.”
Enough. “We have what we
need.” His wolf roused to the challenge in her eyes when her gaze clashed with
his, but neither he nor his wolf backed down. Impressively, neither did the
woman. Who the hell was she?
“Look, I’m not a
doctor. I didn’t even finish my certification for registered nurse, but I’ve
worked in enough hospitals. He put himself through hell in the car to get
here—stupid man—and he needs real medical assistance.” Fear spiked through her
scent. Whether it was fear for Luc or fear of him, Brett didn’t have time to
parse. One thing was certain—she had no idea about wolves.
“Miss…” Goddammit, he didn’t know her name.
“Colby. Colby Jensen. We need to call…”
“Colby,” he tested the name on his tongue, and he liked the
way it formed. Locking gazes, he relied on his strength as an Alpha. Her pupils
dilated then contracted to pin points. “We will take care of him. Go sit down.
I’ll get Luc from the car.”
Cupping her elbow, he ignored the bite of static electricity
that jumped from her skin to his. The woman needed to be managed and, when Luc
was safe, he needed a good thump in the head. What the hell was he thinking
bringing a human into the middle of the mess?
The softness of her skin teased his wolf, and the animal
within him prowled forward. It wanted a bite, to test and taste. She needed to
go. His pack had experienced enough trouble. They didn’t need a human…
“Colby,” he repeated her name more for himself than for her. She
was a person—a living, vibrant woman with a life, and a history and a purpose.
“We can argue about care and treatment later, but we need to get him from the
car.” He needed to get a grip. They didn’t eliminate potential threats before
they actually became threats. The weather had the potential to suck; it didn’t
mean it did.
“Okay,” she exhaled. “Good point.” Tugging her arm away, she
strode toward the door and Brett followed, palming his cell phone along the
way. He fired off a text to Owen alerting he and Gillian to Luc’s arrival in
Hudson River. The mated pair were due to return the following evening, and
unless Luc was critical…
Owen answered almost immediately. Critical?
He replied, Unknown.
Standby.
Arriving at the door a step ahead of Colby, he opened it for
her. The skies continued to pour a dreary rain. “Stay on the porch,” he ordered.
No sense in both of them getting soaked.
“You might need me. He’s got heavy casts on and we don’t want
the plaster to get wet.” Then without waiting for his response, she strode out
into the rain. Her white cotton shirt, already moulded to her like a second
skin, turned virtually transparent. Her black hair slicked to her neck and he
hurried after her. Instead of opening the passenger side door, however, she
opened the backdoor and withdrew an umbrella. Popping it open, she held it over
their heads and met his gaze. “Are you sure you want to take him out here? We
might be better off transporting him to a hospital or at least calling the
ambulance before we take him out.”
“I’m sure.” He nudged her to the side so he could open the
passenger door. Luc’s eyes fluttered open, the yellow-gold of his wolf glaring
at him. A snarl issued from his throat as his gaze darted once to Colby then to
Brett again. Despite his injuries he surged forward and the skin on his cheeks
rippled. “No.” No pretense and no denying the order in his voice, Brett gripped
Luc’s jaw. His wolf would obey, pack mate or not. His wolf knew him, and the
beast snarled but Brett didn’t retreat. “I’m going to take you into the house
and you’re going to keep it together, got it?”
“Got it.” The words were ground out between his teeth.
“Damn, you have the bedside manner of an ogre.” Colby’s
disgust echoed behind.
“Hush,” Brett said. He had no time to soften his manner.
Luc’s wolf was rising and it wanted out. The injuries were severe and he should
have long since shifted, but in the human hospital he couldn’t. A lot of he should haves rolled through Brett’s
mind and he ignored them all. Should have, would have, could have—what mattered
was what he’d chosen. Freeing the seatbelt, he slid an arm beneath Luc’s
injured legs and then around his back.
Though his friend was a big man, Brett matched him in height
and had more in bulk around his shoulders. He could carry him for miles if
necessary. As gentle as he could, he lifted him. Colby winced, but the arm
holding the umbrella over them remained steady. Luc let out a low groan.
“I have you,” he told him. Agony contorted Luc’s features,
but Brett kept his gait steady. “Shut the door.” Colby nodded and pushed it to
then kept pace with him to the porch. She swept aside the umbrella and shook it
off. Not waiting for her, he carried his friend into the house and then up the
stairs. “You’ve put on weight,” he told Luc. If his friend was even a little
aware of him, he’d appreciate the lie of the joke. If anything, Luc had lost a
few pounds.
In the guest room, he set him down slowly. Luc released
another pained exhale. The casts were the first things that had to go. “Give me
a minute,” he told the wolf watching him from within Luc’s eyes. “We’ll get the
casts off.”
“That’s a bad idea. He’s got some severe breaks.” Colby
challenged him as she came into the room. Water dripped from her long black
hair.
“I understand,” he told her. His phone rang and Gillian’s
number flashed on the screen. Perfect. Answering it, he said, “Gillian, I have
Colby Jensen here. She brought Luc from a hospital in Maine. I’m going to pass
her over so she can fill you in on his condition.” Read between the lines, little wolf.
“You need to assess him, and she doesn’t know he’s a wolf.”
Damn, she is good. “Yes, please.” The addition of the last
word earned him a pause from Gillian.
“I’ll take care of her. Should we head back today?” They’d
left only a few hours before and couldn’t have had very long at Niagara.
“I’ll let you know.” He glanced Colby as he extended the
phone to her. “Dr. Chase is our personal physician. Can you fill her in on
everything.” It wasn’t a request.
“Of course.” Despite her unease with him, she responded with
professionalism. Her fingers brushed his as she took the phone and another
static crackle raced over him. His wolf lunged forward and Luc’s low, almost
sub vocal growl gained intensity. “Don’t take the casts off.” The order glanced
off him and he could hear Gillian’s laughter as Colby carried his phone from
the room and the quiet, steady murmur as she recited Luc’s condition.
“Whatever you do,” Luc growled in a low voice. “Don’t let her
leave.”
“You need to rest. You’re in way worse condition than you let
on.” His nose told him infection existed somewhere in Luc’s blood. The mixture
of sweat and musk didn’t hide the sour scent of sickness. “And you need to
shift.”
“She can’t see the wolf yet. She’s not ready.” Despite the
strain, he reached out to grasp Brett’s arm. “Keep her here.”
Yes. He would kidnap the human. Gripping Luc’s hand he gave it a
gentle squeeze. “Lie still.” Reinforcing his will into the sentence, he set
Luc’s hand down then went to the first cast on his arm. Splitting it as
carefully as he could, he removed it. These weren’t the first casts he’d ever
seen. “You know,” he spoke, keeping his voice low. His ears told him Colby had
moved to the stairwell. Whatever Gillian did, she kept her busy. “The first
time I had to break a cast was your fault, too.”
