Tuesday is the big day! Luke Malone gets his story after five looooong years. You met him in Dream Machine, the first book I wrote. Although this book is a stand alone, I think it’ll be more fun if you’ve already read Dream Machine since Kurt and Becca have a large part in this book. There might even be some foursome action *gasp*.
It was really hard to find an excerpt I could actually share on my site, which is probably the mark of a good erotic romance 😛 Here’s a little snippet of Luke and Brielle’s first meeting (after she helps him pick out a perfect zucchini) and links to pre-order sites!
Blurb:
Love can be a lifeline.
Play Doctor, Book 2
As thrilled as Luke Malone is for his best friends, Kurt and Becca, enough is enough. The couple welcomed him into their lives, and their bed. But lately, he’s feeling less like a participant in their happiness…and more like an intruder.
Yet when a beautiful woman comes to his sexual psychology practice, Luke is forced to turn her away. It’s not that he doesn’t want to help her, it’s that he wants her. Too much to stay impartial.
Brielle Norris would rather have a root canal than see a shrink. But she’s had enough of letting the scars from an abusive relationship rule her life. Knees knocking, she steps into the psychologist’s office—and runs right into a tall, handsome man whose gilded perfection makes her own quirky faults even more painfully obvious.
She never expected he’d hand her off to one of his colleagues—then take a personal support role in the unconventional treatment she needs to heal.
In tandem with Kurt and Becca, Luke strives to teach Brielle that not all relationships end in disaster. At least this one won’t—if he can keep her safe when her past rears its ugly head.
Warning: Contains scenes of outside-the-box therapy involving a ménage a quatre. Closed course, professional drivers; do not attempt without…ahem…expert supervision.
Available for pre-order at Amazon
Available for pre-order at B&N
Available for pre-order at Samhain Publishing
Excerpt:
Crossing the last thing off his list, Luke wandered toward the checkout lines. Only two were open. Of course, he slid behind the skittish woman, who had her eyes glued to the green numbers flashing prices as the cashier rang her up.
Her slender shoulders tensed when he encroached on her territory. So he pretended to read trashy stories from tabloids housed at the back of the queue space. Not that he gave a shit about Tom Cruise’s supposed two-headed alien baby.
She relaxed visibly when he shuffled far enough away to guarantee her unhindered exit route. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her take a few bills from her wallet, along with an impressive bunch of coupons and a loyalty savings card.
“Would you like to add five dollars for the Elembreth Women’s Shelter?” the cashier asked by rote.
“What will the total be with the donation?” The woman riffled through her purse for another single and some change.
“Twenty-six dollars and forty-three cents.”
She paused, eyeing her purchases. A small sigh passed her lips as she plucked a bag of mini candy bars from the assortment, leaving only essentials behind. “Would you mind restocking these for me?”
“No problem. Not many people say yes. But I’ve heard that place is good. The owner here…she says she owes them everything.”
“I believe it.” The woman glanced over at Luke as if afraid he might be annoyed by her brief delay. “How about now?”
His heart melted when she handed over all her cash to cover the bill, getting only a few coins in return.
Wanting to say something, he couldn’t find the words.
A part of him roared for him to reach out. To stop her from leaving. Ask her on a date, though he could tell she wasn’t really available, regardless of whatever her relationship status might be.
She packed and collected her reusable canvas totes then left the store, with him still staring after her. When she stopped on the corner outside, waiting for the light to change, the cashier cleared her throat.
“Plastic bags okay for you, sir?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He acted before he could think better of it, snatching the candy off the shelf and passing it over the scanner, which beeped brightly as it registered the bar code on the treat. “Go ahead and ring up the rest of this stuff. I’ll be right back.”
Luke dashed out the door.
The zucchini expert, on constant alert, must have sensed him nearing. She flinched at his hasty approach.
He stopped short, closing the gap one step at a time, the bag of chocolate replacing boring zucchini in his outstretched hand.
“For your help.” He willed her to take it.
She bit her lip, hesitated, then shrugged a loop of material off her shoulder, opening one of her bags.
After tucking the candy inside, Luke backpedaled slowly. He didn’t take his warm gaze from hers. “Thanks.”
That dazzling smile made a reappearance a moment before the light changed and she trotted across the street as if her burdens weighed nothing. Three or four times, she whipped her stare over her shoulder as if verifying he didn’t intend to tail her.
He wondered if she shopped at VegVana often as he resumed his place in line, ignoring the dirty look from the guy behind him. He could learn to love this food group if necessary.
“That was really sweet.” The cashier fluttered her lashes at him. All he saw was the memory of soft brown eyes and a riot of long, wavy hair.
“Yes, she was,” he sighed.
“Damn. Two nice people in a row. That’s gotta be a record.” The woman pouted when he didn’t respond to her flirtations. “Have a nice day.”
“You too. And I think I just did.”
He slotted his purchases into the saddlebags of his motorcycle, whistling.
It’d been a long damn time since he’d felt like this. A bag of candy was a small price to pay for hope.
Maybe cooking would become his new favorite pastime after all.
Jayne
www.jaynerylon.com