It's Wednesday and that means it's romance excerpts day. Both of today's excerpts come from Mimi Riser.PG-excerpt: Time Rip
Genres: Gay / Dark Fantasy / Werewolf / Shapeshifter / Time Travel / Paranormal / Psychic Phenomena / Mystery / Detective / Action / Adventure / Romantic Comedy / Voyeurism / Series
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EXCERPT:
Never piss off a pixie. They have vicious tempers and an arsenal of spells at the tips of their tiny fingers. Like the diabolical Cat-In-The-Hat spell, which turns its victim into a character from Dr. Seuss - shudder - unless the victim already happens to be of the feline persuasion. In which case, the pixified person will morph into another character. Any character from stage, screen, or literature, and there's no way of predicting what fictional persona might emerge. It's a real wild card, that spell.
Speaking of which - cards, I mean - that's how this mess started. My mate Hunter and I were playing stud poker with Toby Buttercup, the pixie in question, and Hunter decided Toby was cheating. Well, Toby was cheating - pixies often do - but only an idiot or someone with balls the size of Hunter's would dare accuse them of it.
I did warn him.
::Let the wookie win,:: I told Hunter telepathically. Star Wars code for "You're treading on thin ice, lover." Or Starr Wars? That's my surname - Starr - and dealing with Hunter is always a war. My first name is Sylver, but never mind that now.
Did he listen?
Does he ever?
Hell, Hunter's a cat-shifter, and like all members of his breed, suffers from an inflated ego and the feeling of invincibility that comes with such a malady. Though "suffer" is the wrong word, I suppose. He enjoys every minute of it. All cats do. No wonder they have nine lives. They need them.
In Hunter's case, however, he carries the concept of Superiority Complex to brash new extremes. Not without reason, unfortunately. And not without encouragement from a multitude of fans - very few of whom know the real Hunter Steele. Very few people, period, know there's a secret subculture of magical creatures who live hidden in their midst. And the magical creatures want to keep it that way.
Thus, those of us who can pass for normal humans, do so - depending on your definition of normal. Mine is quite broad and utterly unrepentant. For instance, tonight I'm clad as Lillie Langtry. Why? Because my Cleopatra costume is at the cleaners. The point being, I'm a silver-blond, devilish cute drag queen, and proud to flaunt it, but I draw the line at proclaiming I'm a werewolf, too.
Likewise, in public, Hunter plays the business tycoon, adored by the masses for his looks and largesse - a dark haired Adonis who funds charities the world over. "The Billionaire with a Heart," the media calls him.
If they only knew.
In private, the corporate king is Catman, the bad-ass founder and chief of Earth Guardians, Inc., a clandestine task force sworn to protect our planet by fair means or foul. Picture the illicit love-child of James Bond and Attila the Hun, and that's Hunter for you. His heart may be big, but so is his head. When he yells "Jump," you're supposed to answer "How high?" Me, I'm more inclined to say, "You want fries with that order, pussycat?" God knows someone's gotta try to keep him humble.
Although right now I'm just trying to keep him out of the line of fairy fire.
"Duck!" I shove him sideways out of his chair as Toby Buttercup hurls a glowing hex-ball across the card table.
"Hold still, blast ye!" Toby squeaks, and takes to the air on yellow moth wings.
I whip out the fly swatter I hid under my Victorian style skirts before the poker game began. When playing with feys, be prepared for anything, is my motto. The only way to pacify an irate pixie is to stun him, then cork him in a bottle until he cools off.
Slap!
Damn, I missed him.
And he's winding up for another pitch.
"You're a big help," Hunter bitches, and springs to his feet. "Give me that!" He grabs for the fly swatter.
I grab for him.
Splat!
The second hex-ball hits him square in the forehead.
"Bullseye! 'Tis a pity I'll not be around to see what ye turn into," Toby chortles, and disappears.
Or, rather, we do - poof - a split second of blind nothing, then the world reforms...
~~~~~
Sherwood Charade (time-travel) by Mimi RiserRobin Hood time-travel romance
EPPIE Finalist
PNR Reviewers Top Pick
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R-excerpt:
R-excerpt:
"Bloody hell--" Robin grabbed for the reins as the mare reared high. Too late. He toppled backward and landed with a grunt on the ground. "Oof."
"Oh!" Maid Marian landed face-first flat on top of him.
Both lay panting as their transport disappeared down the path.
"Thank you," Marian called after her.
"Wench." Robin rolled them over, pinning her beneath him. "Are you happy now?" His whisper reverberated in the darkness.
Marian peered into the shadows of his hood, trying to guess where his mouth was. "I'll be happier when you kiss me. How about it?"
He made a noise between a groan and a growl.
Was that a yes or a no?
She felt his breath on her face. So close... Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer.
"Never mind, I'll kiss you instead," she said, and joined him in his hood. Her mouth found his on the first try.
He tensed, jerked back--then caved in completely, pressed her hard into the ground.
Lips parted. Limbs tangled. Time stopped.
_Electric._ The kiss struck her like lightning, burned clear through to her core, sliced her open and left her quivering, bleeding, dying for more. Hot need pulsed deep inside, a hungry ache between her thighs--
"Lady...please..." Robin pulled back, panting.
_No, no, no--don't stop!_ She grabbed his hood with both hands, yanked him down, and dove straight back in. Her mouth plundered his, licking, nipping, sucking...
A crazy woman. Crazy for Robin. Mmmm... She wanted to eat him alive.
He stiffened against her, his whole body rigid--one part of him especially. A steel rod dug into her abdomen.
Robin groaned, dragged his lips away from her. "Marian..." His breath came ragged. "We have to stop this... Now... There's something I have to tell you--"
"Later. I'm busy now." She locked her legs behind his knees when he tried to push away. One hand pulled him back by his hood, the other raked down his back...made a marvelous discovery.
"You're not wearing anything under your tunic," she murmured against his mouth.
A shudder racked through him as her hand touched his buttocks. "My ap-pologies," he choked out. "I had...no time for the niceties of braes or hose today."
"I'm not complaining. I don't seem to be wearing any panties, either." She'd just noticed that, in fact. How historically accurate. And how convenient. "Want to see?"
"No!"
_Too bad._
She stroked his bare flesh. Smooth, warm, firm... Goodness, he had a great ass. She dug in her fingers
and squeezed--then gasped as he bucked free from her legs and heaved back. Clinging to his hood, she went with him. He landed on his great ass. She landed on her stomach with her face in his lap.
_Oh my._ He had a great erection, too.
Marian let go of one head to examine another. She lifted his tunic and stared at the shadowy monster hiding beneath. Her eyes went wide in the darkness. Good God, he was huge. Had he ever been this big before? Her breath hitched. How had she fit him inside? She had a flicker of panic wondering if he'd fit now.
Oy... Only one way to find out. Trembling but determined, she rose to her knees and hoisted her gown.
"W-wait!" Robin's voice cracked. "What are you doing?"
Stupid question.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Wriggling forward, she advanced on him.
"Oh no--" There was a frantic crunching of twigs as he scrambled to his feet.
Marian's hand shot out and closed around his shaft. "Oh yes."
"Arrgggh!"
Why did he sound like he was strangling? She wasn't tugging that hard. "This is my dream, and if I say we make love, we make love, damn it. Use it or lose it, big boy."
"Will you please listen to me-- Uhhh." His rump reconnected with earth as he lost the tug-of-war.
"This is no dream," he finished weakly.
"How the heck would you know? You're part of it. Now shut up and sit still. I don't know what you're so worried about. You've got the easy part." Without loosening her hold on his erection, she braced her free hand on his shoulder and climbed aboard his lap, straddling him. His breath rasped out as she positioned him at her opening and locked her legs around his waist.
"Easy?" He grabbed onto her hips.
Marian couldn't tell if he was trying to push her away or pull her closer. Perhaps he couldn't decide, either.
"Lady, you are making this most hard for me."
"Good. It's supposed to be hard. There's not much we can do with it otherwise"
~~~
