Today's Special - - Tawny Weber

Today, we welcome Tawny Weber back to the Romance Dish!  Do you like contemporary romances with smart, independent heroines, sexy, alpha heroes and plenty of emotion and sizzle?  If you do, you'll want to check out Tawny's new series for Harlequin Blaze featuring rough and rugged Navy SEALS and the women who tame them. Tawny joins us today to talk about guilty pleasures.  I have to say, her books sure make my  list!  

Please give Tawny a warm welcome!

Guilty Pleasures

What is it about those things we know are bad for us, but we still can’t resist them?  Let’s see, my list looks something like;

See's Chocolates

·         Chocolate

·         Super high-heeled boots

·         Chocolate

·         Starting a book at midnight

·         iPad games

·         Potato chips

·         and Chocolate

There are plenty of other things I can’t resist that I have no trouble justifying, like chocolate (it’s got healthy things in it –I can’t remember what they are, but I read it somewhere),  boots with heels I can walk in, nail polish with glitter, scrapbook and office supplies, checking my email and Facebook page one more time, and chocolate.  And yes, I realize chocolate is on both lists (more than once) but it’s so special, it qualifies for both! 

But those bad but irresistible things are my guilty pleasures. 

You notice that the only book related guilt I have is starting one so late that I’ll be up all night *g *  I can’t think of any other guilt that can ever tie to books, can you? 

The heroine in my newest Blaze, A SEAL’s Seduction, is a big fan of not worrying about guilt.  She has just a couple of rules that she lives by, and as long as she doesn’t break those, she feels free to indulge in as much other pleasure as she finds.  Like chocolate ice cream, killer shoes and ogling hotties on the beach. 

But the few  rules she does follow are absolute. She’s determined to live life on her own terms.  To control her wilder impulses.  And to make sure whatever she does, she’s able to face herself in the mirror the next day.  But her most important one is No Military Guys.  None, never, no way, no how.   But when she sees the sexy hottie she met on the beach again, she’s hesitant, but since she’s pretty sure he’s not military, she figures it’s safe to give her wild attraction toward him a chance.  

Here’s a little excerpt from A SEAL’s Seduction:

“As soon as this is over, I’m outta here,” Alexia muttered. 

            “Not so fast.  Remember, we’re a part of the reception line.  You have to stand and smile until everyone’s done worshipping—I mean, congratulating Dad.  Besides, you should stick around,” Michael murmured, his smile pure delight.  “I’ll bet your night improves.”

            “I’m sure it will.”

            Just as soon as she got out of here and called Blake.  She surreptitiously glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner, noting it was already eleven-thirty. 

            Why couldn’t her father have toasted goodbye to all his glory at a reasonable hour, instead of pushing it to the limits and forcing everyone to stay so late?  She glanced around.  Most of the guests were pretty darned old.  They probably wanted warm milk and their beds instead of a boring speech and champagne. 

            Skimming the crowd, her gaze flew right past one particular face.  Then, her brain screaming a warning, her eyes flew back so fast she probably lost a few lashes. 

            Blake?

            Brow furrowed, she shook her head in denial. 

            What was he doing here? 

            Then her focus widened.  Horror filled her with a cold, icy sort of misery.

            No! 

            Her eyes bounced from his uniform to the medals glinting off his chest, back to his face and then to the crowd of men he was standing in.  SEALS.

            Navy SEALS.

            The man who’d driven her crazy, who had her thinking forever thoughts and craving a relationship, the one who made her want to play house—naked—was also the one thing, the only thing, on her forbidden relationship list.  Military.  Elite military, and up until one speech ago, under her father’s command. 

            How had she missed the signs? 

Why hadn’t he told her?

            And when the hell would these speeches be over so she could run away?    

             

            Blake watched the expressions chase across Alexia’s face.  Shock, then disbelief, quickly followed by fury.  Then she shifted.  Her body weight, the tilt of her head, and her expression.  It was like she’d slammed the door shut.

            Shit. 

            As much as he wanted to avoid any matchmaking from the Admiral, he was equally determined to hold onto the sweet, pleasurable oblivion Alexia’s body provided. 

            Hurry, hurry, hurry, he silently urged his commanding officer, knowing the longer Alexia had to stew, the harder it would be to charm her out of her snit. 

            Thankfully, the older man chose that moment to raise his glass in thanks.  Blake absently followed along with the rest of the room, raising his as well.  But his eyes didn’t leave Alexia. 

            A good thing, because as soon as the crowd shifted, she lost herself in it.  Clearly growing up with military influence had taught her a thing or two. 

            Of course, Blake had some pretty solid training on his side.  He noted the direction she was going, then skirted the outside of the crowd, cutting her off just before she reached the door. 

            He placed his hand on her shoulder with just enough pressure to stop her escape.  She hissed, like cold water being thrown on a sizzling fire. 

            Blake dropped his hand. 

            “Surprise,” he said quietly, suddenly very aware that they were surrounded by her family and his superiors.  None of which needed any details as to his and Alexia’s relationship.  “I didn’t realize you were Admiral Pierce’s daughter.”

            “And I didn’t realize it mattered who my father was.”  Her tone was as cold as her eyes.  A temperature he’d have sworn was impossible to drop to for a woman as hot as she. 

            “It doesn’t,” he said, dancing out of that trap.  Alert, knowing there were more to come, he weighed his words carefully.  “I hadn’t realized we had mutual interests.”

            She gave him a long, considering look that made him wish he was in combat gear. 

“I hadn’t either.  That’s one of those things that usually comes up in conversation.  Which is another thing we never had.

            Blake shifted to block her exit again.

            “Where are you going?” he asked.

            “Away.”

            Blake had swum through the Arctic Ocean once and swore, it’d been warmer than her tone.  Brows arched, he gestured to the open French Doors. 

“Why not go this way, then,” he suggested.  “We can talk.”

“No.”  Lips pressed so tight together they were white at the edges, she took a long, deep breath through her nose, then exhaled slowly.  “No, thank you.  I’d rather not go out on the patio.  I’d rather not talk.  I prefer to go home.”

            “I’ll go with you.”

            “I prefer to go alone.”

    

Uh oh.  I think Blake’s in trouble.  And I think Alexia’s pretty upset. 

Now, most of my personal rules are a lot easier to follow than Alexia’s:

·         - Everything looks better with cute shoes. 

·         - If you’re going to do it, enjoy it.

·       -   Empowering others is good.  Disempowering yourself is bad. 

How about you?  Do you have any special guilty pleasures?  And how about rules for indulging in those guilty pleasures?  

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze hit the shelves in 2007.  A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook. 

Readers can check out Tawny’s books at her website or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies like free reads, complete first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info and much more.  And for a limited time, she has a few open spots on her Street Team!