Neil “Ax” Barron walked away from the Black Thorns MC two years ago. Now he’s back as Vice President for one reason: to take out the President of ruthless rival club, the Devil’s Mavericks. A sadistic, soulless man who is also his father. Ax has his orders to carry out his mission covertly so Black Thorns isn't thrust into open war. But when he meets his contact—a ball-busting, smart-mouthed woman—he quickly realizes he’s got his work cut out for him.
Roxana James hates bikers and a relationship is the last thing she wants. Settling down is her worst nightmare. No man will tame her! She’s content on her own and she’s done well for herself. Until a rough, dirty-talking biker turns her world upside down. He challenges everything she’s ever known.
Together they break down one another’s walls. Two opposites really do attract. The fiery connection between them quickly evolves into much more, despite resistance from them both.
But with so many forces aligned against them and Rox determined not to become part of Ax’s club life, is there really a place for their love? Or will the sacrifices needed for them to be together, come at too high a price?
Franca was born in Surrey, England and currently lives in Niagara Falls, Canada with her husband and their Labrador, Rocky.She is a long-time lover of erotica and romance novels, especially those with sexy-as-sin alpha males. She decided to try her hand at writing her own and writing romance is now her obsession and the perfect way to put her dirty mind to good use! Her writing spans many different sub-genres of romance: contemporary, biker romance, paranormal romance, new adult, romantic erotica and romance suspense. She’s got a ton of stories to tell and many more works up her sleeve.
She loves hearing from her readers, so please feel free to stop by and visit her at the links below:
Helen Banks is going to die. When her twin brother gambles away their fortune, she must save his life and take his place in a duel to satisfy the honor of a man her brother couldn’t pay. Disguised as her brother, Helen faces the one man she’s admired from afar, a widower with a dark past and eyes that scorch her very soul.
Since Gareth Fairfax lost his wife, the darkness in his heart continues to grow. Lashing out at anyone who opposes him, Gareth is stunned to face a lovely young woman opposite his dueling pistol. After discovering Helen’s deception, he offers her a choice: become his mistress or her brother dies.
Their devil’s bargain turns into a slow, sweet, intoxicating seduction. With each passing hour, Helen uncovers Gareth’s secret heartbreak and yet she can’t help but fall for the man who has ruined her. With Helen in his arms, Gareth wonders if he might yet be saved. All it takes is one passionate embrace, a kiss from the depths of his soul and a night of wild abandon.
Gareth looked at her, her blue eyes gazing at him in pity. Did she not know what she was asking of him? Love was hard to find, hard to earn, and hard to keep. He reached up to tug one of her curls playfully, wanting to rid his mind of the thoughts she’d put there. His actions made her wrinkle her nose in disapproval. The urge to hold her was too strong to resist. He tugged her into his arms, relishing the feel of her body flush against his.
She was growing ever more receptive to his kisses. He let her mouth guide his, let her explore his chest, his arms, his back before she locked her hands around his neck. Her fingertips brushed the back of his neck and stroked his hair. He loved how quickly she opened up to him, how she let him instruct her in the ways of seduction.
The feeling of her touch on his skin made him shiver. She was a quick learner. Gareth wanted to part her legs again, like he’d done in the meadow, but the stables were no place for such an activity. Instead he teased her breasts through the fabric of her gown until he felt her grow breathless. He hardened, his groin aching with need, but he could not take her, not until she asked for him. He could have kissed and touched her for hours.
“My apologies, sir!” A groom, who’d walked into the stables, apologized profusely as he scrambled away, overturning a bucket of feed in his haste to depart.
Helen stifled an embarrassed giggle and buried her face in his chest as though to hide herself from the world. Gareth found himself laughing, too. It was a loud, rich laugh, one he hadn't made in years. What was she doing to him? In a mere matter of a day, she had turned his world upside down. She was open and honest about herself and her life. And brave. He couldn't forget that, either, the way she’d risked her life to save her brother’s knowing she would die. What woman of his acquaintance would have dared to risk her life? None that he knew. Helen was different. She was real and beautiful and so full of life. Each time he looked at her, something inside him seemed to shake off a century’s worth of dust and awaken. Being around her made him feel alive.
“Let’s get the horses ready. We should get a ride in while the day is young.” Gareth reluctantly pried her away from his chest and set about saddling the horses.
They rode at a nice canter for nearly an hour, over the meadow, down the hill, and through the neighboring lands. Gareth chuckled as Helen rode her mare through a flock of panicked sheep. They both nearly fell out of their saddles with laughter as they watched the wooly creatures bolt in all directions to avoid being trampled by her horse. The sheep gathered rebelliously into a flock several yards away, bleating melodramatically at having been attacked.
“Heavens! That was quite a ride,” Helen said as she watched the sheep shifting restlessly as her horse stomped and huffed.
“I daresay, the farmer, Mr. Pennysworth, won’t be pleased to find we've been scaring his beasts. Come, let’s away, Helen,” He chuckled and lightly tugged the reins of his horse, guiding it to turn around.
Gareth watched Helen the entire time they were out riding. He could not keep his eyes off the halo of her golden hair or the mischievous grin as she drove towards the sheep. Her little laugh was music to him, music he’d been missing for years.
Sing my little thrush, please sing to me. She was beautiful, she was perfect, and he would have to let her go. That brother of hers would eventually show up, and Gareth would have to deal with him when the time came. Damned if he knew what to do with Martin Banks. The fool might still insist on the duel, now over Helen’s honor. What a mess he was in. His eyes strayed to Helen, and her easy smile made all of the problems with his choice to have her fade. She was worth the trouble. He knew he could not keep her for long. Ambrose’s words came back to him. He was ruining her for her brother’s debts. Debts she shouldn't have to pay, and he’d destroyed all chances of her making a good match. On the field after the duel that hadn't mattered to him, in fact he’d relished the thought of hurting Banks by saddling him with a sister who would never make a match. But now…now he saw he was only hurting Helen, a brave, innocent woman who didn't deserve any of this. Yet there was no way to undo the damage he’d done.
Marriage was out of the question. He had nothing to offer her besides his name and his body, and he knew only too well that a woman like Helen would need his heart to survive a marriage. For him, it was seduction, plain and simple. He had no right to anything else. He’d lost his right to love a long time ago. God would not give him a second chance, not after blessing him with Clarissa. That sort of love, he was sure, came only once. He had his turn and lost. Helen was nothing more than a cruel reminder of what he could never have.
*Note: The Duelist's Seduction was previously released as part of the Captivated by His Kiss Anthology, which is no longer available.
Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. Lauren loves hearing from readers and can be reached through her website www.laurensmithbooks.com.
Dreams. I used to have them—before the nightmares started. I dreamed of nice guys, love…normalcy. Things like reading the Sunday paper in bed with my lover.
But who needs dreams when your reality is filled with a string of faceless dominating men in uniform? Men that pack a thick bulge and are only too happy to satisfy my deviant sexual cravings.
Me. That's who.
And then HE walked through the door and shared with me, a total stranger, his intimate dream of love. Damn him for verbalizing every single detail of the dream I buried long ago.
And now I don’t know how I'm going to live without that dream. Or him.
Henry's End was a stunning read. Henry is such a lovely character with fierce emotions. The depth of his feelings are so surreal. This read had be crying, laughing and in awe of this authors writing.
I adore Henry and Seth. After the disturbing details with the attack, I was worried that Henry would completely shut down but Seth made him love again and showed him that true love is possible.
Highly recommend. Excellent writing.
Teasers:
Henry's End Book Trailer:
Excerpt #1:
Holding eye contact with the man, meeting the challenge head on, Henry didn’t flinch. He wanted him to know that he was aware that he was being watched. The energy between the two was sharp and direct. There was no mistaking that contact had been made, and Henry could feel his stomach cramping with excitement, and his balls tightening with desire. This was a man he had dreamed about his whole life. He exuded absolute power. Envisioning him in uniform made Henry inexplicably ache even more.
Definitely a Marine, he thought. A lieutenant? A captain? This man gave orders and expected them to be followed. He commanded. Demanded. And received.
Turning away, Henry made his way through the crowd in search of the bathroom. Mostly he needed his air back and a moment to process what had transpired. He knew that wasn’t all in his head.
The man hadn’t just cruised him.
He’d claimed him.
Heading into the bathroom, the site of an open stall door felt like an immediate godsend and he needed to get behind it, alone. Quickly.
It happened so fast, he wasn’t quite sure how it occurred. Entering the stall, he turned to close the door but was propelled against the metal stall wall to his right, knocking the air out of him. He heard the muffled sound of the stall door latch being locked. The larger man pinned him with his body, his muscular chest pressing Henry flush against the cold metal. The cool smooth surface felt good against his hot, sunburned cheek. Henry could feel the man’s cock pressed against his ass crack on the outside of his bike shorts and wondered if the guy’s cock was still in his pants or not. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized the man had him in a loose choke hold. He didn’t feel fear, and somehow instinctually knew this guy wasn’t going to hurt him. He was establishing his control and position.
With lips next to Henry’s ear, his voice was little more than a growl. “Is that what you want? Little boys? Little boys that will never satisfy you? Is that what you want?” His sizable cock pressed harder against Henry’s ass. With his free hand, the man reached around to the front of Henry’s bike shorts and found exactly what he was looking for – a hard, excited cock. Giving it a squeeze through the slippery material of his bike shorts, Henry hardened immediately to the man’s touch. Continuing to fondle him through the thin fabric, while simultaneously pressing him from behind, the Marine hissed into Henry’s ear, “I asked you a question.”
Brain cells blown away by the physical assault both front and rear, for the life of him, Henry could not remember the man’s question and answered by pressing his junk harder into the guy’s hand, needing to feel possessed by his grasp. He did not disappoint Henry as he squeezed his balls tighter.
“You still want little boys?” he growled, his arm tightening around Henry’s neck.
The moment Henry felt the crook of his arm squeeze his neck, he began to pump himself into the man’s hand, “No. I don’t want little boys.”
“Then what is it you want?” The man had Henry by his cock and was pressing him firmly against his own hard-on, grinding harshly against his ass.
“I want you.”
“Good. And I don’t want you dancing with those boys. Do you understand that?”
Henry nodded his head, yes.
With his hand firmly encasing Henry’s privates, the Marine pressed the smaller man against him and continued to let Henry feel the pressure of his cock against his ass.
Henry leaned his weight back into him, eyes closed. There was nothing in the world except the guy’s hand kneading and pressing his balls. He wanted to stay in the moment forever. Submit to whatever the man wanted from him.
And then he was gone. Leaving Henry against the wall with a raging hard-on and a need to feel the Marine’s hands and cock again, hear his voice, low and raspy, in his ear. Without removing an article of clothing or coming, he had never had a sexual experience that excited him as much, and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would always remember the sublime feeling of being restrained by this man.
He wanted more.
Excerpt #2:
Henry was deeply ensconced in his own head, making resolutions about moving on, not paying attention to his surroundings, or seeing the man, as he approached his car. He was leaning against the hood, his thick muscled arms folded across his chest. Calm, cool, collected, in charge and so damn freaking handsome.
“Your place?” was all he said.
Henry felt the sharp stab in his heart as his adrenal glands shot a release of hormones into his blood stream. Shaking his head no, he was shocked at how cool and calm his voice sounded, when he was anything but, “No. I don’t think so. You haven’t even bought me a drink yet.”
Walking around the big Marine to the driver’s side, Henry hit the remote, unlocking the door.
With a palm to the solar plexus to stop him, “Where are you going?” the Marine asked.
“Home,” Henry was very matter-of-fact.
“I thought you wanted me to buy you a drink?”
Stepping around the Marine, Henry opened the door to his black BMW and got in. “I do…” and he closed the door and started the engine.
Rolling down the window, he added with a smile, “… on Sunday.” Gunning the Beamer's engine, he left the Marine in the dusty parking lot with a smile on his handsome face.
Well played, Henry congratulated himself. Let him ache for me as much as I’ve been aching for him.
USA Today Bestselling author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas. A creative writing major in college, reading and writing fiction has always been a passion. Julie began her corporate career in publishing in NYC and writing played a major role throughout her career as she created and wrote marketing, advertising, direct mail and fundraising materials for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies and non-profit organizations. She is an award winning nature photographer plagued with insatiable wanderlust. Julie and her husband have one son and a white German Shepherd named Juneau.
Your first crush isn't
normally the man who ends up dating your best friend, nor is he the man you end
up wanting to marry. But my inexperience on how to handle such a strong
reaction to one guy nearly cost me everything back then. They say you can't
control when you first fall in love or who you fall in love with. So when I
found myself in love for the first time at seventeen, it was a bit shocking.
Not for the reasons you think, but then again, maybe it was.
His name was Johnathan Pierce, the one who drove me insane with lust, and
frustrated me to no end. How could I not fall for him? How could any girl
refuse his green eyes, experienced touch and intoxicating words? I knew that he
was no longer the seventeen year old boy who had taken me for the ride of my
life, he was a man now. It's been six years since my heart was taken by
Johnathan, a man who was now a CEO of a billion dollar empire. A man who has
taken all that I had to give, and hurt me in the worst way imaginable, causing
me to give up everything and run away. The indescribable pain I felt has consumed
me for six long years, but now the time has come for me to return home. Home,
where it all started for a girl name Kathleen Toth-Chamberlin.
Every story has
a beginning... and an end.
Excerpt
“I think someone wants to talk to you.” Blair muttered close to me, while grabbing my arm. But it was too late. I was in a foul mood, and there was nothing or no one, who could break me out of it.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to talk to anyone, but you.” I stated proudly.
“Well, I hope I can be an exception.” A voice startled me, and I jumped and turned around to see him standing there. He was standing in front of me, up close and personal, yet again. Johnathan Pierce was here standing next to us, staring at me. Me. “Kathleen?” Blair nudged my side. I looked at her, and she was biting her bottom lip, moving her eyes towards him, desperately trying to break me out of my brain freeze.
“Yes, Blair?” I muttered.
“I think someone wants to talk to you. I’ll get you something to eat for later, okay?” She smiled.
“Of course, sure.” I muttered, and turned back to see he was smirking at me. I reached out my hand to introduce myself. “Hi, I’m Kathleen. Kathleen Toth-Chamberlin,” I stated, he took my hand, stepping closer to me, and shook it while squeezing it softly.
“Hello, Kathleen Toth-Chamberlin, I’m Johnathan Pierce, but I assume you knew that already.” He smiled.
“You shouldn't assume Johnathan, it can turn into a very bad habit.” I released his hand, and glanced over at the table of tramps, to see them all staring at us.
“Care to join me?” He asked.
“Join you? Your fan club over there looks as though they may be lost without you. Are you sure you want me joining you?” I smiled sweetly at him, as Blair started to giggle.
“Oh, I’m sure I want you… joining me, that is.” He stated quickly, adding that last part just in time, but I caught it. He wanted me? He grabbed my hand and started walking towards the exit door. I followed him, or for use of a better word, I was being pulled by him. We exited the double doors, all the while I’m chanting in my head, don’t believe anything he says… he has many options compared to your one... he is nothing to you… don’t let him make a fool out of you. I wondered where he was taking me, and I hoped it was behind the bleachers. Oh no, wait… no I don’t.
“Johnathan, where are we going?” I breathed. He kept quiet and pulled me along. The halls were empty because everyone was at lunch or class. We turned a corner and came to a stairwell, and he opened the door. He led me down the stairwell, all the way to the bottom, near an old radiator or generator. It looked like a huge motor, and it was fenced in for protection, but the sound while it ran was like a motor cycle running. No one would see us, and no one would definitely be able to hear us. How did he even know about this place, when I didn't? He just got here today, and I've been going here for the last four years.
I turned back to him, and he was staring at me, his eyes darkened, and his tongue slowly licking his lips. I watched his tongue slowly curve to cover his thicker bottom lip, while his eyes devoured my body, and I began panting. I gasped as he pulled my hand roughly towards him, the hand he was still holding. My body smashed into his, and I instinctively raised my hand to push back from his chest, but he wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me in place. We were face to face, our breaths mingling. He smelled so good, and I knew in that moment that I wanted him to kiss me. I had never felt like this and now I knew what it felt like to actually want someone. I mean really want them. “Kathleen?” He whispered, close to my mouth, and I shuddered in his arms, not being able to control my body’s reaction to him.
“Yes?” I uttered, feeling as though the breath was being taken away from me. I closed my eyes for a moment, and opened them to see his filled with desire.
“I want to kiss you, taste you, and claim you as mine.” He muttered, close to my mouth. I gasped, as his words took my breath away, and in the sudden movement, my breasts rubbed against his chest. I could feel the friction, of my now hardened nipples, making me feel sensations all over my body, causing a soft moan to escape me. I balled my hands that laid on his chest, into fistful of his shirt silently showing him how much I wanted him right here and now.
“Oh Johnathan...” I breathed his name, and it sounded almost like a moan. I never heard this tone of my voice before, I could tell that it was laced with yearning.
“Shh…” He uttered. Our lips were so close to connecting, I could feel the warmth of his breath. I could feel the hardness of what was between his legs, as well as the moisture of my panties. I needed this, I wanted this kiss. It would be a first for me, and I wanted it to be from him, right now.
Franca was born in Surrey, England and currently lives in Niagara Falls, Canada with her husband and their Labrador, Rocky.
She is a long-time lover of erotica and romance novels, especially those with sexy-as-sin alpha males. She decided to try her hand at writing her own and writing romance is now her obsession and the perfect way to put her dirty mind to good use!
Her writing spans many different sub-genres of romance: contemporary, biker romance, paranormal romance, new adult, romantic erotica and romance suspense. She’s got a ton of stories to tell and many more works up her sleeve.
