That's right! Another release, Echoes in Eternity, has released early. This is the longest story I've written to date at over 100K. It is classified as a contemporary fantasy. Here's the blurb and a story and adult excerpt. Available at Secret Cravings Publishing, soon with third party retailers. Enjoy!
BLURB:
A Life Lived in the Past, A Present Life Lived in a Lie, One Woman in Love With Two Men, A Destiny Echoed for Eternity
What if, all your life you have lived a lie? Your best friends know the truth but don’t tell you. Your grandparents are really strangers. Your new boyfriend is part of a secret society headed by his brother. To top everything off, they convince you that you are the reincarnation of an ancient goddess of a lost continent capable of saving humanity.
Take a journey starting from the distant past to present day—New York and Paris, to an archaeological dig site in Egypt, and to Surrey, United Kingdom. Layla McKenna discovers a life lived before and accepts the love of two men as she fulfills her destiny echoed in eternity.
STORY EXCERPT:
The
unknown man’s mouth curled upward and
then he extended a hand. She finally
proffered hers as his blue eyes traced
the contours of her face, as if
memorizing every feature. The act raised
goose bumps. Then he spoke.
“Hello,
I’m Jake Bomani, and you are?” A tone of
self-assurance and an accent spoke to
something in the back of her
subconscious and left her with the
persistent feeling of having met him
before.
“Oh,
Jake, I’m sorry, this is my research
assistant, Layla McKenna,” Professor
Petersen interjected, and then looked at
Layla. “Layla, why are you here so
early?”
As
she took a step forward and extended a
small tan hand, she answered the
professor. “Couldn’t sleep.” She smiled
at the tall, delicious man. “Pleasure to
meet you, Mister Bomani.”
The
charming man took her hand in his
formidable mitt, but his gentle grip
surprised her. Gentle, but all too
brief. She liked his touch. Finished
with amenities, he turned back to the
professor and continued their
conversation as if she were no longer in
the room. Stepping around him, she
backed against the bookcase to listen,
never taking her eyes from Jake. Who does he think he is?
Ignoring me? How rude. But, dang, he’s
a fine piece of man.
Put
out by the arrogance and rudeness of the
man, Layla crossed her arms over her
body and tapped her right foot
peevishly.
Jake
Bomani may have a nice ass, but he
wasn’t on the schedule for this morning.
As a matter of fact, who was he? He
didn’t even say why he was here and what
was so special about his visit? Because
he had this air of assurance and
well-spoken demeanor, hijacking the
morning routine with the professor and
disrupting her moment didn’t sit well.
Just when she had the courage to discuss
the Egypt project, Jake waded in,
ruining the carefully crafted plans.
Now, the normal procedures which set the
tone for the rest of the day would be
off-kilter. God, I hate
this!
The
professor was adamant about sticking
with his habits and routine for the day
and if he drifted from them, Layla’s
life became a miserable eight hours. She
had to make him happy to make her life
happy. This stranger messed up
everything. He needed to go and fast. Baby blues and a nice ass, or
not, I’m not working overtime again
tonight!
Caught
up in her own world of how to get Jake
out of the office, Layla didn’t listen
to the details of the conversation
between the professor and Jake. She
wanted to get on with the morning’s
normal business. Although, after looking
him over more closely as he moved more
to the side, she discerned his profile.
Fine features, well-cared for in a
rugged kind of way and a rather
good-looking man overall. He had those
arresting baby-blue eyes, which she was
always a sucker for and spotted
immediately. They were like the
Caribbean Sea, clear and turquoise,
favoring the blue not green side. One
could see through them, clear and
glistening. His short cropped hair was
the darkest brown, almost black, like
Earl Grey Tea and striking against his
tanned skin. The man was definitely easy
on the eyes. At least six feet two
inches of steely muscle, she imagined
him to be as perfect a specimen of
gorgeous manliness she’d ever had the
pleasure to formally meet. Deciding he
definitely worked out to keep that
nicely cut physique in shape, she
figured he didn’t seem the weightlifting
gym jock, but probably a long distance
runner.
Layla’s
contemplations then shifted, wondering
if he had a girlfriend. Then with a
sinking feeling she thought, could he be
married? That would be my luck! All
the good-looking guys seem to be taken
these days. She
cocked her head to spy his left hand,
but he’d pushed his hand into his
jeans pocket. Dang! What am I
doing? He is an arrogant piece of
work I really don’t like. All I want
is a boyfriend—a decent man and
attentive lover. Why can’t I have
that? Dammit I’m thirty now and need
to get serious!
The
relentless tapping of her foot became
the dominate sound in the room shoving
aside the conversation between the two
men. A nervous habit she sometimes
forgot she did. Finally Jake turned and
glared at her. “Okay, little one. If you
need something to do because our
conversation is boring you, how about
getting the professor and me some
coffee? I like mine black. How do you
take yours, professor?”
“Oh,
I don’t drink coffee, but I’ll take some
herbal tea. Layla, would you mind?”
“For
you, Professor, yes. You, Mister Bomani,
you can get your own coffee, I don’t
work for you.” She didn’t know why she
got nasty, but for some reason his tone
and attitude didn’t sit right and she
snapped back.
“Layla!
Please, where are your manners?”
Professor Petersen chided mildly.
“Mister Bomani is our guest. He has
agreed to assist us on our excavation
trip, and his corporation is funding the
project as well. Please show him some
courtesy, my dear.”
For
Layla that revelation made all the
difference, sort of. “Oh, my apologies.
You take your coffee how again?” The
sarcastic tone in her voice didn’t go
unnoticed by the tall, dark, handsome
newcomer. Good I hope he got my
intent. Yeah, right Mr. Arrogant Stud
Muffin with the Drop Dead Blue Eyes.
I’ll show you courtesy!
“Black,”
came the terse reply from Jake.
Layla left
to get the coffee and tea. She wondered
again who Jake Bomani was. She had been
in the research business a long time and
thought she knew most of the important
benefactors involved with the
investigation of the 2012 findings.
Bomani’s name never came up. Did he
represent a new foundation? Whatever his
agenda, she would find out.
ADULT EXCERPT:
Deciding
to forego the sauna and go straight to
the steam room to save time, she
stripped down, put on a towel, and went
into the hot space. The steam was a
welcome treatment needed to purge the
effects of the rich food and naughty
thoughts. A week of restaurant fare and
too much wine made her feel sluggish.
She sat on the wood bench, leaned back,
closed her eyes and drifted away to meet
her dream man. Could she make him Jake?
The hunky image loomed fresh in her mind
and would be easy to do. In the dream,
she lay on the bed, naked, picturing him
coming to her. Briefly returning to
reality, she heard the door to the steam
room open and close, but paid no
attention to who entered, as she became
too immersed in thought to care.
The
person knelt close to her and whispered
in her ear, “Don’t open your eyes,
little one.”
She
jerked in surprise but did as commanded
and kept her eyes closed.
Jake
gently kissed and caressed her neck,
licking and flicking his tongue from the
back of her earlobe down to the hollow
of her shoulders. She smelled the manly
sweat from his workout and felt the
morning stubble of his beard. Being
early morning, she thought he probably
was the type who didn’t shave until
after his workout and shower. Prickly
against her skin, she didn’t mind the
sensation. The sensuality of the moment
took away the discomfort.
Jake
opened the towel across her body. He
gently laid her down on her back. As she
lay naked before him, one leg dangled
over the edge of the lower bench and the
other leg bent at her knee, leaning
against the upper bench. He knelt down
close and again urged her to keep her
eyes closed. His hands gently moved down
her arms to rest along the sides of her
achingly swollen breasts, cupping them
in the palms of his hands. He tugged at
her nipples, nudging them to hard,
throbbing peaks of red with the hot wet
tip of his tongue.
A
gasp released between her heavy
breathing as the heat from his
titillations began to build to a flaming
inferno throughout her body.
His
tongue traced a path between the cleft
of her breasts down her belly to the
navel. She took in a deep breath. He
drank the small amount of moisture which
pooled in her navel, a sensation she
never experienced before—erotic and
provocative. The hot steam, mixed with
her perspiration tickled the sensitive
skin. She put her hands on his shoulders
and shifted position by lifting and
parting her legs. She ached for him and
wanted him to see every part of her
womanhood, desperately wanted to savor
every inch of pleasure he had to offer.
Layla
watched him drink in her beauty and
smell her essence, pure animal lust
gleamed in his eyes. He opened her wet
pussy lips with his fingers and explored
the sweet spot with his tongue for what
seemed like hours. The sensation slowly
built, taking her closer and closer to
release. She fought hard to keep from
reaching her peak and feverishly wanted
him inside. She pulled on his shoulders
to bring him up and closer.
Her
voice caught, unable to speak.
Surprisingly, he seemed to instinctively
know what she wanted and raised his body
over hers and gently eased down on her.
His broad chest pressed against her
breasts as he kissed her hard and
passionately. Their tongues met and she
could taste her sweetness with his. She
wanted him, all of him.
“Jake,
I want you now,” she whispered, urging
him with her hands curled over his
shoulders.
He
grabbed her hips and lifted them up
slightly as he drove deep inside her
fiery furnace. She moaned as his
rock-hard flesh invaded the lubricated
sheath, and wrapped her legs around him
to pull him deeper inside.
Before
she realized what happened, he covered
her mouth, muffling the moans. They
moved in sensual rhythm, twisting,
obeying an instinct they hadn’t known
they possessed. She arched her hips to
meet his thrusts, harder, deeper,
bringing her to a climactic release of
pleasure, shuddering with clenching
spasms. A few thrusts later, he followed
with his release as he poured himself
into her with a groan and quiver of his
body.
Both
collapsed from exhaustion and lay in
each other’s arms for a few moments
until they caught their breaths. Jake
sat up pulling Layla upright and
alongside him. Jake grabbed a towel,
covered her, and gave her a gentle kiss
on the lips. She watched him stand up
and put a towel around his waist.
“Now,
that was the kind of morning workout I
live for. I’ll see you at the meeting,
little one,” he said and left the steam
bath.
Speechless,
she watched him leave, feeling relaxed
and content. Half-naked, she could see
how well defined his body was, muscles
that rippled down his arms, his flat
stomach and strong legs. Then she saw
the tattoo on his shoulder, which
appeared to be a sword. She made a
mental note the next time she saw him to
ask about the significance of the
design.
She
sat on the bench for a few minutes to
gain her composure.
“Morning
workout is right. Damn, that’s what I
call a quickie detox! Exactly what I
needed.” She realized they just had
unprotected sex. Ohmigod! I
can’t believe I was so stupid! Add
getting tested to my things to do.
“Speaking of meetings, I’m going to be
late. She jumped up and rushed to the
locker room to shower and change. She
hurried back to her suite to finish
getting ready. As she closed the suite
door behind her, she glanced at her
watch which read nine ten. The professor
would chide her for being
uncharacteristically late.
