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 |
·
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?
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.
· - 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!
