Guest Bloggers

Here’s the spiel:

Lusted in Las Vegas picks up where Marooned in Miami left off while Stephanie and Jason’s sexy tryst continues in Sin City! Their chemistry is undeniable and their lust just may take a turn toward love when they return to each other’s arms. However, all is not perfect in paradise when Jason’s ex comes to town and wants what she believes is rightfully hers.

Jason’s not the only one with something to hide. Stephanie carries a secret of her own. Can she spend a carefree weekend with Jason without risking a broken heart? Or do her feelings for Jason run too deep to simply walk away?

Excerpt

She pulled away from his embrace and ducked under the pool’s surface. Stephanie was a natural swimmer. She swam the length of the pool without taking a breath. When she resurfaced at the opposite end of the pool, she turned and placed her elbows on the pool’s edge. She eyed Jason who was not looking at her face. His gaze was fixed a few inches to the south. She looked down at her pebbled nipples clinging to her bikini top. Touching her fingertips to her neck, she traced the line of water droplets down to the valley between her breasts.

“Do you swim, Jay?” she teased.

Jason gave her an evil smile, slowly lowered himself under the water and swam toward her. When he reached her, he circled his hands around her waist and gave the little bows tied at her hips a gentle tug. Her black bikini bottoms slipped off as his head broke the surface and they were suddenly face-to-face.

“You won’t need these where we’re going. Oh and this either.” He reached behind her and pulled the string tied at her back. In a split second she was nude in his swimming pool. He turned her around so that her back was against his chest. He nibbled on her ear and neck as his fingers rolled her pointed nipples to soft peaks. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tilted her head to kiss him. As his lips lowered to hers she giggled and spun so that they were facing each other.

“Well, if my bathing suit is not required than neither is yours.”

Stephanie placed her hands on his cool wet chest and lowered herself down until her head was under the water. Her hands traveled down his chest to the waistband of his trunks and swiftly pulled them off. She popped her head up from the water’s surface and dropped his suit next to hers on the pool deck. She laughed and wrapped her hands around his neck. He easily lifted her and guided her long legs to encircle his body. Stephanie kissed his cool wet mouth. The sweet taste of pineapple lingered on her lips as her tongue entangled with his.

“To your grotto, madam.”

Stephanie giggled as he carried her to the entrance of the grotto. With a whoop of childlike glee, she lifted her hands high when he paused under the waterfall. The cool water splashed through her fingers and over her head. Jason loosened his grasp and allowed her body to slide down his until his feet hit the floor. He swiftly spun her around, covering her eyes with his hands. The exhilarating cool water flowed through her hair and over her shoulders. He nudged her beyond the waterfall and all was suddenly quiet except for the splash of the never-ending flow of water from the fall. Uncovering her eyes, she scanned the enchanted grotto.

Directly in front of them was a natural rock staircase leading up several feet to a bubbling, steam covered hot tub. Lush, tropical greenery grew throughout the grotto interspersed with brightly colored flowers. Glancing up, Stephanie found the light source, a glass covered skylight above her head. Only Jason Royce would have a skylight in his grotto. She smirked and shook her head.

“This isn’t what you expected?”

“Not at all, I just figured it was a little private alcove of the pool. Never did I expect to see a beautiful garden.”

Jason led Stephanie to the stairs leading to the hot tub.

“After you,” he said as he gestured for her to climb the stairs.

“Uh-huh. You just want a view from behind, don’t you,” Stephanie said with a wink as she began her ascent.

“You bet your sweet ass, darling,” he chuckled.

About Sandra Bunino:

Sandra Bunino began a love of romance stories while penning a creative writing assignment in high school. The story ended with the heroine receiving a long stem red rose in her locker on Valentine’s Day. Since then, all of her stories feature the hero presenting the heroine with roses. Sandra is constantly searching for different ways to achieve a heart-pumping, stomach-flipping, breath-catching reaction from her readers.

These days, Sandra lives on a wooded mountaintop not far from New York City with her family. She always looks forward to hearing from her readers and she may be contacted at sbunino@gmail.com. Come back often to find out more about her current and future releases. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@sandrabunino). Remember, following is sexy!

Welcome to A Midsummer’s Night Blog Hop!

This is not your normal blog hop. All the participants have paired up, but our characters have done all the work beyond that. My character is Circe, from Tidal Whispers, a siren stationed in the lucrative fishing waters near Homer, Alaska. Circe is amphibious, spending time in both water and land. She does not speak–she can (or could), but we’d all be entranced if she did, which would defeat the purpose of the interview. She is hosting a character by Christine Ashworth, Gregor from Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt.

A little bit about Gregor first:

Gregor Caine (Blood Dreams & Demon Hunt)
Oldest of the Caine Brothers, he’s the head of Caine Investigations company. He’s 6’4″, has the deep blue-black African skin, and short-cropped hair – plus the sharpest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. Was the only witness to his mother’s attack by a demon, and could do nothing to stop it (he was 15 at the time). He wears 3 piece suits all the time, had grown tired of dating, and believes that as long as he can keep everything under control, the world will keep turning. He does not believe he’s a control freak, however.

I’m going to turn my blog over to Circe now:

Hi Gregor. You are very large, are you not, and I think a little bit scary. But everyone was young and innocent once. What were you like growing up, before you turned 15, that is?

My brother Justin and I were only a couple of years apart, so we were always together. It was the four of us; mom, dad, me and Justin.

Justin and I would hang out in the barns, or in the yards, and play all day. I was like any other kid, I guess, played lots of strategy games like Risk and Stratego. We’d play basketball with the neighbor kids until it got dark out in summer, stuff like that.

Describe where you lived, your home? Orderly or messy, warm or cool colors, kitchen is well-used or for decoration, laundry all done and put away or overflowing in both clean and dirty piles?

We grew up in this really big old house in the San Fernando Valley. It sits on a few acres and is planted with a citrus orchard. We have two barns on the property.

Our house was neat, but not orderly per se. Comfortable, a place you could breathe in. Lots of wood floors and warm, comforting colors downstairs, tile in the kitchen. Mom used to make these huge meals in our kitchen, and Justin like as not would be beside her, learning to cook. It’s a cook’s dream, that kitchen.

Laundry? That’s the stuff that piles up, right? Then suddenly it’s gone, and in its place is a neat pile of folded clothes. Can you tell I take my laundry to a service now?

I don’t do laundry either. It seems very irrelevant. So before we talk about what you do, describe what would be an idyllic day for you.

Getting through it without having my clothes completely ruined before day’s end. Do you know how much Armani suits cost? In the week before the solstice in December, I managed to have five designer suits and a jogging suit shredded beyond repair. So now, any day that ends with my suit intact is an idyllic day.

Does Armani cost more than the Kathie Lee collection from Walmart? Probably so. Tell me about your job, what you like about it most and why it is so hard on your Armani suits.

I’ve got two jobs. My job as a private investigator helps pay the bills, and when it’s more than just taking photos of a cheating spouse, it can be fascinating. Digging into people’s psyches, I guess. Though it can be heartbreaking, too, when the missing person doesn’t want to come home, or ends up being the john doe on a slab in the morgue.

My other job is fairly new. We kill demons and anything else that happens to come illegally through a dimensional portal. It’s vital work to the safety of the area, and gives me quite an energy rush. Killing demons is also really smelly work. I guess that’s the downside. That, and big dry cleaning bills.

What do you do when you aren’t working? Any hobbies or activities you participate in like swimming or fishing?

I’m always working. Okay – when I’m not working, I’m either making love with my beautiful wife-to-be, Serra, or I’m learning more about both my demon and Fae blood gifts.

I also watch football on TV.

sigh…That sounds lovely, though I do not understand this football, why it is so important for grown humans to chase after each other while carrying a large, brown egg. I do like the halftime shows, although the singing hurts my ears. But you spoke of love. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

I believe in love at first kiss. I had seen Serra, sure, but when you wake up while someone’s kissing you with heart, soul, and body put into it, it kind of pre-disposes you to fall in love. I think.

I think so too. Good answer. Okay, a harder question now. What’s the one decision you made that you regret most and why?

Not getting milk at the store on the day of my mother’s attack. If I had remembered the milk on the way home from school, she wouldn’t have had to go shopping. She wouldn’t have been in the driveway when that creep came up. She wouldn’t have been raped.

Oh! That is terrible! Sometimes the Gods can be so fickle and vindictive. I won’t even ask you which one you must have pissed off. I’m guessing Hades but perhaps we’d best change the subject in case he’s listening. I have been trying more human foods lately. I like pumpkin bread and corn dogs and Starbucks lattes. What are some of your favorite foods to eat?

Pizza. Steak. Potatoes. Brussels Sprouts. I know, I’m weird.

**writes down all foods Gregor mentioned** I must speak to Otis about all of these, especially the sprouts from Brussels. Oprah question time! I just saw her for the first time the other day. She is amazing. So here goes: “I’d rather have an abundance of: time, money, solitude, love/companionship, public recognition, intelligence, physical prowess, or security/safety.” Choose one and explain.

Wow. Can I say “none of the above”? Let me think. Well, I’ll go with security/safety, but not for me. For Justin, mainly. He hasn’t been himself since the winter solstice, and I’m afraid for him; if I could know for certain that he’d be safe and secure, I wouldn’t worry so much.

What would you never want to have missed doing before you die?

Becoming Serra’s bonded mate. She was horrified when she first realized it, but there was no way I could possibly have gone out and bedded other women after her to break the fragile new bonds. I loved her too much, respected her too much to want to break what we had created between us.

I like the sound of that, “bonded mate”. I must mention this to my man, Otis. I think Aphrodite would greatly approve. Thank you, Gregor, for telling us all a little bit more about yourself. I do not think you are quite so scary now.

Giveaway!

As a thank you to our readers, Gregor’s creator, Christine, will give away a Kindle copy of Demon Soul, the first book in the Caine Brothers series, to get you started before Gregor’s book, Demon Hunt, drops later this year. All you have to do is leave a comment that includes your email address somewhere (either in the form or in the body of the comment).