Thursday, June 25, 2009

Thursday Thirteen!


Thirteen Mini-Excerpts from my Hot, New Paranormal Erotic Romance Animal Instinct!


1.

Why did married people seem to have an uncontrollable urge to play matchmaker with every single guy they knew? Cell phone to his ear, Luke McCall leaned back in his chair and propped the heel of his well-worn Timberland boot up on the edge of his desk as he considered that. He supposed his brother, Hunter, and new sister-inlaw, Eliza, were just trying to be helpful. More likely, though, it was just another case of Hunter thinking that he knew exactly what Luke needed. Hunter had only been born about two minutes before Luke, but that didn’t stop him from playing the older brother card whenever he thought he should. Like now.



2.

Heidi Gibson couldn’t help but smile as she slowed her car to a stop and patiently waited for the trio of Dall sheep to cross Seward Highway. They paused in the middle of the road to regard her with a bored expression for a moment before finally going on their way. Finding wildlife on a major highway back home in Denver wasn’t a common occurrence, so Heidi had been disconcerted to see moose, bears, and sheep frequently sharing the roads with cars here in Alaska. But after being in Anchorage for the past two months, she was used to seeing them.



3.

Heidi was still trying to decide if she should run or not when she suddenly heard a deep growl right behind her. Startled, she whirled around. Her eyes went wide. Standing in the middle of the trail was the biggest black wolf she’d ever seen. The thing was freaking huge. And it was eyeing her like she was its next meal!



4.

The werewolf regarded him in confusion for a moment, but then recognition shone in his light hazel eyes and he returned the growl with one of his own. The beast had picked up his scent. The were’s gaze dropped to the knife, and Luke tightened his grip on the handle. In human form, Luke couldn’t match the were in quickness, but he was still stronger than an ordinary man. And the long, hunting knife that Luke held could do some serious damage to the were. But even with Luke’s strength and the knife, the werewolf still had the edge. The only question was, did the were know that? Luke would just have to bluff and find out.



5.

She stood there watching him as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, wondering why she didn’t just get in her car and leave. He took a business card from his wallet and held it out to her.

“Take it,” he said.

She did, but only because she thought he might get upset, or even worse, follow her to the hospital if she didn’t.

“You’ve been bitten by a werewolf,” he continued, “which means you’re going to become one, too, and when your body starts changing, you’re going to need my help.”

Does he even know how crazy he sounds? Probably not, or he wouldn’t be saying such bizarre things. “I have to go,” she said, turning back to her car.

He caught her arm, his expression earnest. “There’s a full moon in a few days,” he told her. “You’ll need to call me before that.”

Right. Like she was ever going to call him.



6.

As she was walking back to the parking lot a little while later, the smell of food wafted over from the diner across the street and Heidi’s stomach growled. God, she could really go for a burger. Despite the fact that she had a freezer full of Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine entrees in her apartment that she needed to eat before she left, she found herself darting across the street to the diner instead. She really needed a burger all of a sudden.



7.

How was it possible for her to see a small rabbit in the darkened woods from where she was standing? She gazed up at the three-quarter moon that had come free from the cloud cover. She wanted to think it was giving off enough light to allow her to see so well, but she knew that wasn’t it. Her brow furrowed as she suddenly remembered what the gorgeous whacko who had come to her rescue had said. According to him, she would turn into a werewolf when the moon was full. She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a shiver. She had never heard anything so ridiculous in her life. There were no such things as werewolves and she sure as hell wasn’t turning into one!




8.

Spotting him, Heidi tucked her hair behind her ear and slowly made her way over to his table. With all the people in Starbucks it had been difficult for him to pick out her scent when she’d been over by the door, but as she got closer, he could smell the light perfume she was wearing. Though the fragrance was sexy to be sure, it was nothing compared to the pheromones she was putting off. As a werewolf, scent was one of the first things he tended to notice about the opposite sex, and hers was completely intoxicating. Not to mention arousing as hell. It was unlike anything he’d ever smelled before. It must be all the changes she was going through.

He felt his jeans tighten in the crotch area and hoped that his hard-on wasn’t too visible as he stood up to greet her.




9.

Heidi stared at Luke McCall in amazement. The only thing he’d left out had been the erotic dreams she had been having about him. Thank God, he didn’t know about those. She could barely keep herself from blushing as it was. If he had mentioned them, she would have literally slid under the table with embarrassment.Now that her mind had brought up the subject, though, it was hard not to think about all the sexy things they had done in her fantasies. She tried to push the thoughts away, but it was almost impossible with him sitting there looking hotter in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt than any man had a right to. Or smelling so damn yummy. His masculine scent had been driving her wild since she’d sat down.




10.

"How do you know so much about werewolves, anyway? What do you do, study them or something?”

Luke’s mouth quirked. “Not exactly,” he said. “I suppose I probably should have mentioned this earlier. Heidi, I’m a werewolf.”

Her eyes went wide. “You’re what?!”

She hadn’t realized she had practically shouted the words until several people turned to look at them, but she ignored the curious looks they sent her way. The hunky guy in front of her really thought he was a werewolf? Sheesh, he needed a shrink as much as she did. They could probably get a group discount.




11.

“You know,” she said as she took a sip. “This whole werewolf thing is still really hard to buy into.”

He twisted the cap off his beer bottle and tossed it into the trash. “What if I offered you proof?”

She looked at him curiously. “What kind of proof?”

“I suppose the best way to prove to you that I’m a werewolf is to turn into one.”

She blinked in surprise. “Right here? Right now?”

His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It’s the only way to get you to believe me.”

Heidi chewed on her lower lip, but said nothing.

Luke set his beer down on the granite countertop and walked into the living room. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” she asked, following him.

He turned to look at her. “Into the bedroom to change into a wolf.”

He said the words so matter-of-factly, like it was as normal as going into the bedroom to change into another shirt or something.

Her brow furrowed. “Why can’t you do it out here?”

“Well, for one thing, the transformation can be a little disconcerting to watch if you’re not used to seeing it. And for another, I have to take my clothes off.”

She hadn’t been expecting that. “You have to be naked?”

He lifted a brow. “You ever see a wolf in jeans and a T-shirt?”




12.

As she stood there looking up at him, Heidi found her gaze drawn to his lips. God, he has a beautiful mouth. It was wide and sensuous, and she wondered what it would feel like on hers. Suddenly, Luke stepped closer, and Heidi had the craziest notion that he was going to kiss her. Breathless at the idea, she parted her lips in anticipation, but then realizing what she was doing, she cleared her throat and took a step back. What was she doing? They had only just met, after all, and if he were going to help her, it would probably be better if they didn’t confuse the issue by throwing sex into the mix. Because if they kissed, they were definitely going to end up in bed.

When he only leaned forward and opened her car door, however, she felt like an idiot. Thank God, she hadn’t closed her eyes and pursed her lips. That would have been beyond embarrassing.




13.

“I think you’re melting.”

“W-what?” she stammered in confusion, her voice a little breathless.

“Your ice cream,” he said. “It’s running off your spoon and down your hand.”

She looked down, surprised to see ice cream running down her hand and dripping onto the counter. Quickly putting the spoon back in the bowl, she set it down on the counter and turned to the sink. Before she could wash the ice cream off, though, Luke took her hand and pulled her close.

“I’ll get that,” he said, his voice husky. “No need for it to go to waste.”

She wondered what he meant by that, but before she could ask, he bent his head and began to slowly kiss his way along the inside of her wrist. When he reached the ice cream, he lightly ran his tongue over the sensitive skin, licking it up as he went. Between her legs, her pussy quivered as she watched his tongue move. Oh God. If she had been hot before, now she was on fire. She’d never had a guy do anything so damn sexy before.

“There,” he said, lifting his head to give her a sexy smile. “All clean.”

Heidi gazed up at him, her pulse beating wildly. “I think you missed a spot,” she said softly.

He lifted a brow. “Really? Where?”

“Right here,” she said, going up on tiptoe to kiss him.







Links to other Thursday Thirteens!(Leave your link when you comment, and I'll add you here!)



*hugs*





13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great excerpts, Paige! Happy Thursday! *hugs*

Nina Pierce said...

Those are some great excerpts, Paige. Sounds like another winner!

Jennifer McKenzie said...

Great exerpts.

Inez Kelley said...

great snippets! Good luck!

http://talesfromthecrit.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

I love T-13s with excerpts! Thanks for sharing.

Heather said...

"You ever see a wolf in jeans and a T-shirt?"

ROFL...love it!

http://wordtrix.blogspot.com/

Shelley Munro said...

Great excerpts, Paige!

Mary Quast said...

Great excerpts! Like always, you've managed to steam up my glasses.

Happy T13.

http://maryquast.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Nice selection of excerpts!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the excerpts, Paige!
Happy T13 :)

Janice Seagraves said...

Hi Paige,

That sounds like a really good story. I like how she keeps getting embarrassed, I'm sure its a hoot! And your hero sounds real sexy too.

Happy TT.
Janice~

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Great excerpt. Saucy. I loved it.

hugs,

wendi

Paige Tyler said...

Stephanie - Thanks!

Nina - Thanks!

Jennifer - Thanks!

Inez - Thanks!

Debbie - You're welcome!

Heather - LOL! Glad you like it!

Shelley - Thanks!

Mary - LOL! Thanks!

AliceAudrey - Thanks!

JamieBabette - Thanks!

Janice - LOL! Thanks! They'reso cute together!

Wendi - Thanks!

*hugs*