Mad Monday

Roxanne pulled in to the parking lot of the gym and took a spot near the front.  Her radio blared Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" and it fit her mood.  She'd finally had enough of Scott's shit and she was ready to kick ass.  Catching him banging her co-worker on the chaise lounge in the backyard had been the last straw.  It was one thing to hear the rumors, but to see it with her own two eyes was enough to make her want to take a baseball bat to both of their skulls.

Without a word, Roxanne grabbed a bag, shoved all her clothes and other important crap inside and left.  It's not like she had much there anyway.  Grateful that Scott hadn't been able to convince her to move in, it wouldn't be a problem to go back to her apartment.  But, right now, she had to punch or kick something...hard.

In the locker room, Roxanne stripped out of her mini skirt and thigh-high boots, then yanked on a pair of shorts and sneakers.  She sat for a minute and tried to calm herself.  If she went out there and started pounding the bag, she'd break something.  Sitting still was a mistake.  The image of Scott and Lulu fucking, the sounds of grunting and moaning, all crashed over her.  It was too much and her anger escalated.  

"You fucking asshole."  She didn't even warm up, but went straight to the punching bag, her fists flying.  She may be an exotic dancer, but first and foremost she was a fighter.  She'd learned to fight at the age of ten when her older brother pushed her to know self-defense. From there, she'd taken every available class that involved kicking or boxing.  When her step-father next laid a hand on her, he ended up in the hospital with a concussion and a dozen broken bones.  After that, no one messed with eleven-year old Roxy.

"Hey, go easy."  A voice startled her and out of instinct, Roxanne turned and swung.

She made contact with a firm set of abs.  He grunted and she hissed.  Pissed that she let someone sneak up on her, the anger boiling inside of her overflowed.  Her hands hurt, but she couldn't stop.  Scott...sticking his tiny dick in Lulu's disease-ridden...

"Hey!"  The guy with the voice was yelling at her now.  Roxanne stopped punching, and grabbed the bag.  Leaning her forehead against it, she took a few breaths to calm herself.

"You wanna hit the mat?"

"What?"  Roxanne looked at the voice again.  Oh damn.  How had she not noticed him?  He was tall, stacked and had intense dark eyes.  He wore a hoodie that was open in front.  "I asked if you wanted to hit the mat?  You look like you need someone to work with.  That bag's only going to do so much."

She didn't know if it was a good idea.  Roxanne never had a problem sparring with a guy, but she wasn't in the mood to take it easy and if she pushed him too far, they were both going to get hurt.  "No." She turned her back to him.

"Chicken?"

"Are you fuc..." Roxanne twisted her head back and saw his smile.  Hot damn.  What a gorgeous smile.  "Fine."  If he wanted to have a girl kick his ass, so be it.  She'd take out her anger over Scott on this guy.  She wasn't small but people always misjudged her.  She was fast and extremely flexible.  It helped, considering her line of work.

They faced off at the center of the mat, bumped fists then backed away.  Roxanne had to concentrate or this guy would wipe the floor with her.  Never one to back down, she struck first.  She swung her leg around and caught him in the back of the knee and he went down.  She grinned.  He recovered fast and swept his other leg out, knocking Roxanne on her back.  She flipped up quickly and swung a few punches at his sides.  He tucked in, protecting himself until she stepped back.

Noting the surprise on his face, she decided to try her latest move and hopped on her right foot, then brought her left knee up high, catching him in the chin.  The move backfired however, when he grabbed her knee and pulled her into him.  They both toppled to the mat, his body pressed against hers.  Her left knee was tucked up tight against his right shoulder her other leg angled out.  He looked down into her eyes. "Pinned."

She wriggled and struggled, but all she managed to do was push herself against his crotch, causing her body to react to him immediately.  She felt him grind against her and she knew he wasn't wearing a cup.  It wasn't a smart move on his part, but she wasn't about to complain.  "Roxanne."

He took his hand off her knee and grabbed her arms, pinning them over her head, against the floor.  "Matt."

Roxanne laughed and bucked her ass up off the ground, pushing hard against his bulge.  "Wanna go again?"

Scott and Lulu forgotten, now all Roxanne wanted to do was find a way to pin Matt this time around.

"Here? Or my place?"  Matt grinned.

...to be continued...perhaps.  ;-)

~J~

Connected by Kim Karr Book Review

If you don't know me by now, one thing is that I LOVE to read, especially romance novels.  Another thing is that I seriously ENJOY posting reviews.  I love to share how stories move me, heart & soul.  And, one last thing, more specifically about my reviews, is that I don't re-tell the story.  I feel that the author, publishers, etc have already spent their time giving readers a synopsis, and some reviewers really dig deep and tell you a lot of detail.  So, I tell you how the book made me feel, what I thought and by the end, what I was left with. 

One other note I wanted to add is that if you want AMAZING book reviews, I highly recommend Aestas Book Blog, just click on the pink box over on the right hand side of this page to visit it.  Great reviews!

Okay...so back to "Connected" by Kim Karr...

This story is beautiful in so many ways. In the beginning we find a loving story between Dahlia and Ben.  Childhood friends that grew to be lovers and in love.  Their story was sweet and fairly 'normal'. The tradegy and following pain that Dahlia went through is sadly realistic and broke my heart. Adding in a little intensity with a band lead singer named River causes Dahlia a great conflict not just of the heart, but of the soul.  And, she makes the wise decision to walk away.  

The reconnection, between Dahlia and River is what got my heart racing and had me "hot under the collar" for most of the book.  Their story is not only hot & steamy, but aside from that, there is a soul-connection between the two.  A connection that few will probably ever really know, and most only dream of.  Of course, this confuses and terrifies them both; I could feel that throug the words Ms. Karr wrote in their scenes and their dialogue.

I am going along the journey with them on their intense and whirlwind romance.  But, as is life, some curveballs are thrown in, and even though I knew it wasn't all a coincidence (I just watch too much tv and read too many mysteries), they go along under that assumption.  By the end, every reader will know a bit more about these curveballs I am referring to.  *wink*

Of course I adore Dahlia, fell in love with River, am unsure about Caleb and laugh at Aerie's boldness.  And, sad to say, by the end, I'm no longer liking Ben very much.  He wasn't my "type" in the beginning...I've never been one for the over-confident type, but it worked for Dahlia and of course, she'd known him since childhood.  But, something always loomed over his character and after the Epilogue, I think I wanted to go back to the beginning and strangle him. 

There are many unanswered questions in my mind as I finished. I know the author will wrap it up in "Torn", the next book. If you don't like cliffhangers, and many of us don't; if you are the type to wait to watch all of your fav shows on DVR in one shot so you're never left screaming, "I have to WAIT!?!?" then, yes, wait until "Torn" is out and then read them back to back.

By the end, after the Epilogue, I was anxious to get my questions answered. Ms. Karr promised all of us Facebook fans that all will be revealed soon...and much like life...sometimes you just have to wait it out.

Meet her on Facebook HERE or her Blog HERE

Highly recommend for those who love soul-mates, steamy intimate scenarios, and true love stories. ;) 

Sexy Saturday

I have been working on some "theme" names for every day of the week, so I can share some photos with you, perhaps some story snippets, to get your blood going for the day.  Today is Sexy Saturday and here is a pic and a snippet for you.  Enjoy! And, please help me out...this is a new blog, so comment, Like, Share, or whatever else you can do to spread the love.  THANK YOU!  

The Key To Helmbrooke Excerpt

"Zander came up to the edge of the water, a few yards downstream from the water fall. He
looked for Isabel and saw her immersed under the water fall, only a portion of her face
sticking out. She had her eyes closed and was smiling before slowly turning, almost
completely disappearing from view.

He felt himself smile too, and crouched down to collect water in the flask.
Fool. Of course she’s fine. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her clothes on the
bush. He realized that she was not fully dressed in the water. The thought of her being
naked under the waterfall excited him and at the same time scared him. He felt frozen for
a second as she backed out from under the waterfall. He didn’t know if he should go…
or wait to see if she’d go back under the water so he could escape.

His eyes involuntarily traced the outline of her body as her long wet wavy hair clung to
her. She had a white slip on, but her hair covered most of her backside, ending at the
backs of her knees. He continued to stare at her as she ran her hands down her hair,
smoothing out the brown ripples as far as her hands could reach, then bringing most of it
over her left shoulder. Her petite frame was completely visible as the slip hid nothing
now that it was wet.

He felt a strong longing to touch her and he knew it was a bad idea. He couldn’t stand
looking at her anymore; it was too much to handle. He stood to leave, but just then she
turned forward letting the water of the falls cascade down her backside. Quickly he
ducked back down, shifting so he was behind a small bush. He peered up and saw that
her eyes were closed as she tilted her head back.

He couldn’t move; he was entranced. His eyes were mesmerized as he looked from the
edge of her jaw to the v-shaped neckline of her slip, which gathered up under her breasts
bringing his attention to them; her skin was smooth and glistened in the sunlight. She
brought her hands down the sides of her head and rubbed her arms. The slip stopped just
above her knees and he could see clearly the outline of her slim legs. She was exquisite
and he wanted to go to her; to take her in his arms and kiss her. He stood up, feeling
bold, not wanting to hide what was stirring inside of him.

As he did, he startled a small animal and it thrashed in the bushes half-way between
them. His burning desire for her was quickly doused. He saw her turn her head in the
direction of the sound, rubbing her eyes. She looked around holding her hair up in her
arms, gently wring the water out. She called out a faint hello, but there was silence.

Zander ducked behind a tree and waited there, holding his breath. He heard her moving
through the water, and took a chance at glancing around the tree trunk. She had her back
to him as she picked up her clothes off the bush. He took off for the camp hoping she
had not seen him ogling her."

Zander longed for Isabelle

The Key to Helmbrooke is available now on Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed the snippet and the semi-relevant sexy pic.  :)