Saturday Simmers with May Williams' Cape May Serenade

Blurb:

Brad Stevens thinks he has life just where he wants it. He's back living in his hometown, restoring a house he loves, and building his carpentry business. When Carolyn Kent, a former USO singer, comes to Cape May one summer to perform, Brad's simple life gets complicated. He finds it easy to love Carolyn, but keeping her may be a difficult job. She has ambitions as a singer that could take her far from him. Will Brad's love and life in a beautiful seaside resort be enough to tempt Carolyn to stay or will she follow her dreams back to the big city?
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-314/Cape-May-Serenade-May/Detail.bok


Excerpt:

Carolyn nearly burst with excitement when Brad finally pulled into his driveway and parked his truck next to the workshop. Not seeing her, he swung over the wooden side of the truck's bed and grabbed a large box of tools. She rushed to him, waving a letter in her hand when he dropped back to the ground.

"Brad, you're finally home." She launched herself into his arms. The box of tools clattered onto the ground, but they barely heard it during the kiss that followed.

"A man could get used to this kind of welcome home."

She slid down the front of his body. "I thought you'd be home earlier. I've missed you so much."

After a drink with Brad the other night, she left him and returned to the Grand Cape May to reason with her parents. They rebuffed her attempts to explain her relationship with Brad, and the next morning they were simply gone when she went to find them after breakfast. A job took Brad up the coast for a few days and left her too much time to think about him and the problem with her parents.

"I missed you and this." He swooped in for another kiss and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Ummm, you smell of wood and apple pie." Carolyn nuzzled his neck.

"Pie's in the cab. I don't always get paid in cash." He ran his hand down her back and over her bottom, tugging one of her legs up to wrap around his waist. "Why don't you come inside and have some pie with me?"

"Tempting." For a moment she was caught in a wave of heat and desire, then she remembered her reason for coming and pushed him back. "I want to show you my letter, and I don't have much time before tonight's show." He took the letter from her hand and scanned the contents. "I'm being offered a chance to record a demo in New York. Don't you see? This is what I've been hoping for."

"I'm happy for you." With his usual smile and a congratulatory kiss, he handed her the letter. "When do you go?"

"Early tomorrow. Eddie was able to call in a favor with another singer to cover for me."

"Will you be gone long?" He bent over to pick up the scattered tools.

"Through the weekend. I'll be back on Monday in time for my show." She squatted next to him to see his face, but she couldn't read his expression. "Brad, you are happy for me, right?"

"Yeah, of course," he reassured her. "It's what you want. I'm just imagining how you're going to knock'em dead."

"I hope so."

"I know you will." He hoisted the toolbox to his shoulder and walked to the workshop. "You'll be signing a recording deal before the weekend's over."

"Wouldn't that be wonderful? I've spent so much time wishing for this. I can't believe I finally get the chance."

"Will you stay with your parents in Manhattan?"

"I think it's best. Maybe I can talk to them, and they live close to the studio where I'll be recording." Carolyn leaned in the open door of the workshop while Brad returned tools to their places. "Why don't you come up over the weekend? How long's it been since you were in New York?"

"I have a few army buddies in the boroughs. We get together every few months."

"Then you're no stranger to the city. Please come."

"I don't know. I have a lot of work to do here." He gestured to the house with the hammer he held.

"Promise me you'll think about it at least. I'll leave their address with you." She glanced at the clock over his workbench. "I better get back for my evening performance, then I have to pack and be at the train station early."

"How long will it take you to pack tonight?"

"Not long. Why?"

"I'll pick you up at eleven."

She cocked her head to one side. "I have to catch the train at seven in the morning."

"Then we'll have eight hours before you go to be together." He came to her and rested his hands on her hips. "I want you to spend the night with me here."

"I can't look tired." She gazed into the depths of his gray eyes. Passion was there along with something she couldn't quite identify. Was it sadness or worry?

"I'll let you sleep -- some. And if I do my job right, you'll glow from head to toe." He put a soft kiss on her forehead.

http://www.amazon.com/May-Williams/e/B005KVEZNC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Sizzle from "Decision to Love"

By: Michelle Sutton      
We ran out of Sundays for Michelle to Sizzle. This one is available on Amazon kindle and Nook It will be in paperback in July.

She gazed at him. Her attention slid to his lips. The signal sent a rush of warmth through him. She was giving him a signal he hadn't seen in a very long time. She wanted him to kiss her.

The parking lot was virtually empty, and except for a few cars scattered about, they were alone. He inched closer and rested his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her chin up and held his gaze.

For the first time in his life he was almost afraid to kiss her. He didn't want to lose her, but he didn't want to revert to the lover boy persona that charmed women in the past. He wanted to be real with her, and not worry about impressing her with his skills. He wanted to express his feelings of love for her. He just wanted her.

She didn't inch forward, but simply waited for him to make the next move. His throat suddenly parched, he forced himself to move past the fear and kiss her, hoping it would relax his nerves.

Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against hers. She had the softest, most pliable lips he'd ever made contact with, and he didn't want to stop. But after several long moments, he leaned back and gazed into her eyes. He had never kissed a woman so gently and yet with such passion before.

Charla smiled at him and said, "That was nice."

It was beyond nice, but he didn't want to say that. Who knew that a closed-mouth kiss would stir him so deeply? He wanted to kiss her again, but didn't want to rush things if it would upset her.

They needed to go slow if their relationship was going to last. Yet, he'd never wanted anything more in his life, and his voice sounded breathless as he said, "I would like to do that again."

She said in a tender voice, "I would like that, too."

Cupping her face, he lowered his mouth to hers again, and this time he moved his lips over hers. His heart pounded like never before and he knew for certain that he loved this woman. He loved her in a deeper way than he'd ever loved before.

His kiss had been motivated by love, and not just passion. Though his blood stirred and his body responded to her touch, this time it wasn't about lust.

Charla sighed against his lips and ran her fingers through his hair. He nearly wept from the pleasure her gentle touch brought. He never thought he'd fall in love again.

When he broke the kiss, he peered into her eyes and said, "I love the way I feel when I'm with you, Charla. I believe God gave you to me as a gift, and I will treasure you always."

Her eyes welled with tears and she smiled. He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. Yes, his love for her ran deep, and yet they had only been dating two months. Granted, they'd spent nearly every day together over the past few weeks, and they enjoyed each other's company, but what he felt as he held her in his arms made him think about forever.

Michelle Sutton - Healing Hearts - fiction making an impact on real lives...

new titles releasing in 2012... Decision to Love, It's Not About Her, Somebody Love Me,

Out of Time, and Surprise Love    You can find me here...

Thoughtful Thursday

One of the regular readers here made an interesting observation recently. We all know we are gearing up for a month of Sizzling Kisses, but this viewer asked (indirectly) if there was such a thing as a bad kiss. That depends on ones point of view. A couple of weeks ago, a kiss was shared on Simmering Saturday, (you can click on it on the Menu to the left.) From the character's POV that instigated the kiss, "hey, it was a kiss -- a means to an end," while from the receiving characters POV it most likely bordered on the prelude to rape. A bad kiss? Out of context, yes probably. But if you know the background of these characters, not so bad and yes maybe even a little siz...
Just a thought as you prepare your kisses for July.
Good luck and I/we are looking forward to reading them all!
(Watch for Kiss Contest on the Menu to scroll through them when you visit.)

On your laptop, Get writing, Enter!

The Sizzling Summer Contest is days away-- Sunday, July 1st starts the month of Sizzle!
Okay, so you want to know what's in it for you...how about an Amozon Gift card? The winning entry will recieve a $10.00 gift card.
Now remember, I don't get to vote---you do (the voting will open the end of the month.) But you must be a follower to vote but anyone can enter! Contest rules will be posted Sunday, July 1st and occasionally throughout the month.
Published kisses, even self-published kisses CANNOT be entered, so if you happen to read a kiss that you know is published elsewhere, be sure to let me know. (That means none of mine are allowed 'cause I've shared them here on my blog.) Authors are allowed to enter as well as those sharing that first romantic kiss of their lives. Some authors can't write a sizzling kiss to save their books so don't be intimidated! I'm still learning how to use this tool!
I even have a "booby" prize for worst kiss, so don't dispair. Instead-- write, polish, edit, research the "how tos" and Sizzling Kisses already posted here and give it your best shot. Who knows, maybe you will be the next incredibly awesome author on the New York Best Seller list!

Mysterious Monday Suspense with Deliverance from Evil

Excerpt by permission of Melanie Atkins:

Dempsey Spencer. Just as ugly dead as alive.

Tessa Doucet reeled back a step and stared at the flabby, tattooed body stretched out on Maurice's embalming table. One minute she'd been talking to Maurice about avoiding covering up the snake tattoo on the man's neck when she applied makeup to his set features, and the next she had glimpsed his face.

Her stepfather. The vile scum who'd taken away her innocence and gone to prison because of it. He'd been out of Angola for only a month and had already knocked on her door claiming he wanted to apologize, but she'd turned him away. That sick son of a bitch.

And now he's dead.

Relief splashed over Tessa in an icy wave. She drew in a steadying breath and glanced up at Maurice, a tall, angular, mahogany-skinned man with dexterous hands and a gentle manner.

He cocked a brow. "Is something wrong, Tessa?"

"Um... I-I don't think I can help you with this one."

"Unfortunately, you do not have a choice," he said in his musical Jamaican lilt, his dark eyes gleaming.

"His funeral is tomorrow, and I must leave in a few minutes to meet Ella at the airport. So I will need your help to complete the embalming process."

"Maurice--"

"What is the problem, child?"

"He's... he's..." She let the word trail away. If she refused to help him with Dempsey, she'd have to say why, and she wasn't sure she could reveal what her stepfather had done all those years ago. Besides, she didn't want Maurice to be late picking up Ella.

The mortician wiped his hands on a cotton cloth and tossed it beside the sink. "Go on."

"No. N-never mind." She lifted her chin. "I'll deal with it."

"Thank you, dear one." He winked at her and undid Dempsey's belt. "Ella will much appreciate my presence at baggage claim. She will have plenty of luggage to drag home."

"You should definitely be there to help her," Tessa said, her stomach roiling as Maurice adjusted the sheet covering her stepfather. "Is her mother feeling better?"

"Apparently, considering the amount of shopping they managed to do. Hopefully this will be Ella's last venture to Atlanta for a while."

"I hope so, for your sake."

"You do not think I make a good bachelor?" He laughed, his dulcet tones warming her blood. He retrieved the instrument tray from the counter by the sink and rolled it over to the embalming table. "Time to get started."

"All right." Nausea swirled in her stomach as she sidled closer. Maurice would first suture her stepfather's mouth closed, and then insert a mouth former to make him look natural. Dempsey's mottled face mocked her. She waved her hand in his direction and fixed her eyes on Maurice. "Wh-what happened to him? Why is his face so red?"

"I do not know. The coroner said he suffered a heart attack."

She nodded. Somehow, Dempsey dying of something as simple as a heart attack seemed wrong. He had lived a violent life... so didn't he deserve a violent death?

The warmth in her body disappeared the second Maurice turned away to wash his hands and don a pair of non-latex gloves. "I will embalm him and leave you to wash the body and do his hair and makeup. Can you handle that?"

"Yes." She glanced back at her stepfather, the man who had caused her so much pain. She didn't want to touch him, but she had no choice if she were going to help Maurice. Once she had finished embalming Dempsey, she would roll him to get him back into his shirt, coat, and pants, and then slather makeup on his ugly face and comb his scruffy halo of gray hair.

A river of disgust cascaded down her spine. The embalming room had always been a welcoming workspace, but today it seemed incredibly cold and sterile. Frightening, even. And all because of the monster on the table.

Melanie Atkins

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DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL--Coming in June--Desert Breeze Publishing
QUEST FOR JUSTICE--Available now!--Desert Breeze Publishing
BLOOD RITE--Available now!--Whiskey Creek Press

Blurb:


Tessa Doucet chose to go into mortuary science because the dead can't hurt her. Then a monster from her past turns up on her embalming table, and she's forced to confront the demon she thought she'd put to rest. Flummoxed by the case Tessa stirs up, Detective Cash Starkey finds himself falling for her, even though he swore to keep his distance. He doesn't want a relationship, especially not with a woman running from her past. Yet when Tessa's life is threatened, he runs into the fray, and together they defeat her demons and put the past behind them.

Buy link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-301/Keller-County-Cops-Book/Detail.bok

http://melanieatkins.wordpress.com/

Sunday Sizzle

This is from Out of Time (releasing in mid June 2012 -- this inspirational has a sensual rating)
Excerpt used by permission of author, Michelle Sutton.

Tears filled her eyes and she covered her mouth. "It's so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are," he whispered. "Can I help you put it on?"

She nodded and lifted her hair so he could clip the chain without it getting caught in back.

He leaned close as he put the necklace on her. She could smell his minty breath and felt its warmth on her cheek. Now would be a good time to give him a real kiss, right? Her heart pounded as she slowly turned her head.

Donny lowered his arms once the necklace had been secured. She dropped her hair and studied him, noting how he hadn't moved away from her like he often did.

Maybe it was the fact they were dressed up and ready to go out that had her nervous.

She'd been this close to Donny a number of times, but had never felt scared before. Not like she did right now.

His gaze dropped to her lips, but he made no attempt to close the space between them.

When he did kiss her, it was often a brief peck when he picked her up or brought her home. He'd kept his hands to himself and treated her with complete respect.

She admired his restraint, but for once she wished he couldn't control himself. It would make things so much easier for her right now. What would he think if she kissed him first?

Rather than waiting until she lost her nerve, she plunged ahead and said, "Merry Christmas."

He smiled, until she inched closer.

Her lips captured his with as much emotion as she could offer. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck and she pulled him closer. The scent of his aftershave made her dizzy with desire. Whatever scent he wore on his skin made him even more irresistible.

With a soft moan in his throat, Donny tugged her closer. He parted his lips like he wanted to taste her and ran his tongue over her lips. She relaxed in his arms while his tongue slipped inside and explored. What a heady, sensual feeling they made as their mouths moved over each other in a way that made her pulse pound. She could get lost in the sensation of their lips caressing and his tongue gliding over hers in an intimate dance.

To get even closer, she scooted until she sat on his lap. She couldn't miss his arousal, which made her passion spark to life until she groaned.

Parts of her body heated that she never knew kissing could ignite. She felt herself contemplating things they could do right now. Things she'd told herself they would not do. So why had she changed her mind? His kisses were like a drug, and she was hooked.

The way he kissed her made her rules seem silly. Kissing shouldn't feel this good, but it did. In fact, kissing Donny was sinfully delicious. Their contact was so sensual and alluring; she couldn't help but want to experience more. This was the reason she needed to stay away from him. She never should have opened the door through sensual kissing. Now it was too late.

He shifted on the couch as she eased away from him. He captured her gaze and said, "Wow. Was that my Christmas gift?"

She licked her lips and moved so she sat up straight and in the process she'd inched a bit further from him. She knew if she didn't create some space between them soon they would get into serious trouble.

"Yeah, it was."

Donny ruffled his bangs and blew out a tense breath. "What took you so long?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I've been waiting for months for you to feel comfortable enough to kiss me, and wow, when you finally did, it was enough to set me on fire."

A shy grin tugged at her lips. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to tease you."

"Don't be sorry. It was amazing. Maybe because I wasn't expecting it."

"Maybe." She grinned. "Or maybe our chemistry is just right."

His eyes grew serious as he studied her a moment. "I'm not sure what to do about my feelings for you. They keep growing. You said you didn't want to be more than friends. Have you changed your mind? 'Cause I am so ready for more if you are."



You can buy Out of Time (in June) HERE