Hello, book lovers! Simply Amazing is now available and free! Its a short prequel (13,500 words) to the third book in the Arrington Family series, Only One for Me. I wanted to share a sneak peek into the life of the oldest Arrington sibling, Cannon and the love of his life, Yasmine. The prequel takes place 12 years before the actual book which will be released in 2013. Check out the blurb and a short excerpt below.

Cannon Arrington has pushed aside a social life to dedicate his time to medical school, extracurricular activities, and helping others … that is, until he lays his eyes on the angelic face of Yasmine Dubose. For Cannon, meeting her was a breath of fresh air. Something about the bubbly, sexy teacher makes him realize he needs to stop and smell the roses.

Yasmine has had a crush on Cannon since high school, but he’d never noticed the nerdy freshman. Now she’s blossomed into a woman who’s full of life. She knows Cannon’s drive for success is important to him, but she fears he’ll become even more of a workaholic than her father, who died when she was a child.

Will Cannon settle down and learn how to balance his career and love life, or will he lose the simply amazing woman who has stolen his heart?

Hello, readers! Today I’m going to do a book spotlight for my upcoming release, Simply Amazing. It’s a short, free read and the prequel to the third book in the Arrington Family series, Only One for Me, which will be released in 2013. Writing a prequel to the third book was never on my to do list, but I realized after The Game of Seduction was published, no one knew much about the oldest Arrington sibling, Cannon, except that he was always busy and is somewhat of a workaholic. I know everyone thought his twin sister, Raven, would be next, but what I have planned for her won’t work if Cannon’s book isn’t before hers.

At the end of The Game of Seduction, Cannon goes off to Brazil once again to open another medical clinic for a small village. He’s quite the humanitarian and has always been so, but something from his past has caused him to bury himself even deeper into his work and good deeds. So, I decided to give Cannon a back story, thus Simply Amazing was written. It takes place 12 years before the book. Its my very first short story for publication and has been a nightmare to write as I tried to fit everything into 10,000 words; however, it ended up being 14,000 words. Below is the blurb and the first chapter.  The official release date is Thursday, December 6th. Happy reading!

CS

Blurb:

Cannon Arrington has pushed aside a social life to dedicate his time to medical school, extracurricular activities, and helping others … that is, until he lays his eyes on the angelic face of Yasmine Dubose. For Cannon, meeting her was like a breath of fresh air. Something about the bubbly, sexy teacher makes him realize he needs to stop and smell the roses.

Yasmine has had a crush on Cannon since high school, but he’d never noticed the nerdy freshman. Now she’s blossomed into a woman who’s full of life. She knows Cannon’s drive for success is important to him, but she fears he’ll become even more of workaholic than her father, who died when she was a child.

Will Cannon settle down and learn how to balance his career and love life, or will he lose the simply amazing woman who has stolen his heart?

 

Chapter One

 Cannon Arrington raced along the interstate in his white Mustang, shifting gears and weaving in and out of traffic. He’d overslept, as usual, and was running late to the Read-a-Thon at Garrett A. Morgan Elementary School. A second-year medical student at Meharry Medical College, he’d stayed up until three in the morning working on a presentation he had to give at noon. He’d hit the snooze button on the alarm clock a few times before realizing he had overslept.

Glancing at the time on the dash, he had twenty minutes to be seated in a first grade teacher’s rocking chair to read a book. He’d volunteered with the graduate chapter of his fraternity, which adopted the school as a partner in education in order to show a more visible presence of positive African-American men as role models. His best friend and fraternity brother, Doug Winters, presided over the program and had persuaded Cannon to participate, which only added more to his already overflowing plate of activities outside of medical school.

He pulled into a parking space, popped the trunk, and grabbed the crate of books before he dashed into the front door of the school. Since it was the beginning of October, he decided he would read Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. It was one of his favorite books about a fruit bat that was raised by birds. He’d brought enough copies for each student in the class to have.

“What up, frat?”

Cannon turned his attention to the left to find Doug, who was dressed in a pair of khaki’s, a black polo shirt with their fraternity crest, and holding a clipboard. Cannon had on the same attire. They met each other halfway.

“Good morning, Doug. Great minds think alike.” They shook hands while doing their secret handshake, which went unnoticed by people walking by.

“Yes, except when it comes to setting the alarm clock. I had to switch you and Tony. You’re now reading in Ms. Dubose’s classroom. I’ll walk with you.”

“Dubose? My favorite teacher from high school was Ms. Dubose.”

“Well, I doubt it’s her. She’s Sherika’s best friend. They’re from Memphis, like you, and teach across the hall from each other.”

Cannon glanced sideways at his friend. “Oh, so that’s why you chose this school,” he said with a smirk. “Because your new girlfriend teaches here.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” They turned down a bright yellow hallway with colorful bulletin boards displaying student’s work. “We’re just hanging and getting to know each other.” The gentlemen stopped in front of a door displaying cut-out autumn leaves falling from a tree. “Here’s Ms. Dubose’s classroom. I’ll be across the hall reading,” Doug said with a grin and a wink.

Cannon chuckled. “I’m sure you will be.”

He turned toward the classroom door, shifted the crate of books on his left hip, and pushed open the already ajar door.

Approximately twenty students sat on an oversized carpet of the United States in front of a bulletin board with a calendar, student work, and a dry erase board. The students were listening intently as their teacher sat in a rocking chair, reading a book to them in the sweetest voice he’d ever heard.

“Ms. Dubose, we have company,” a little boy stated in a loud tone.

She lifted her head, wearing a breathtaking smile on her angelic face, and his heart skipped a few beats. Her smile grew even wider and even more amazing as she tilted her head to the left with a look of recognition on her face. She handed the book to a little girl sitting in front of her. The teacher stood and proceeded toward him at the back of the classroom while the little girl continued reading the book to the class. He watched as the young teacher moved gracefully in a pair of gray dress slacks and a black, short-sleeved sweater, which complimented her small frame.  Her sandy brown, layered bob framed her soft face, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her smile. It warmed his heart.

She stopped a few feet in front of him and held out her hand. He set the crate of books on a desk and took her small hand into his.

“Hello. I’m Ms. Dubose. Welcome to my classroom.”

“Thank you, Ms. Dubose. I’m Cannon Arrington.”

She glanced at the students, who were sitting nicely on the carpet while their classmate read to them. “You probably don’t remember me, but my mother is Emma Dubose at Frederick Douglass High in Memphis.”

“She was my favorite teacher, and I do remember you.” He paused and lowered his voice so the students wouldn’t hear. “Yasmine. You would do your homework after school in your mother’s classroom during our science club meetings. Surprised to see you in Nashville.”

Yasmine flashed her beautiful smile again, and he had to hold in a sigh. She was so breathtaking. She had definitely grown up from the geeky, little freshman he remembered sitting shyly in her mother’s classroom with her nose in a book. She was all woman now, and a fine one at that.

“I attended TSU. I just graduated in May and was offered a job here. And you?”

“I’m a student over at Meharry.”

“Cool. Small world.” She looked in the direction of her students as the little girl finished reading. The children had begun to speak quietly.

“Well, I guess I better go read.” He grabbed his autographed copy of Stellaluna and followed her toward the front of the classroom. He tried to keep his eyes straight ahead; however, they kept glancing at the cutest butt he’d ever seen.

The children’s voices silenced when they saw their teacher approach. She stood next to the rocking chair and displayed that damn beautiful smile again. Cannon cleared his throat and tried to stay focused. He was there to read not lust over the teacher, but if she kept flashing that smile and shining her pretty brown, doe-like eyes on him, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

“All right class. Let’s welcome Mr. Arrington, a student at Meharry Medical College.” Yasmine motioned for him to sit in her rocking chair. “What do we say, boys and girls?”

“Good morning, Mr. Arrington,” all of the students said at once.

“Good morning, students,” he said in an upbeat tone as he sat down. He glanced at Yasmine, who gave him an encouraging nod. She walked to her desk and perched on top of it. The sexy, bubbly teacher with the simply amazing smile was doing a number on him. He cleared his throat, opened the book, and prayed he could keep focused on reading and not Yasmine.

*****

Yasmine stared at Cannon as he read one of her favorite books to her class. She couldn’t believe when she looked up and saw Cannon Arrington, her high school crush, standing in the back of her classroom. She’d almost fallen out of her rocking chair, but instead, quickly handed the book she was reading to one of her brightest students.

Of course, he never really spoke to her in high school; just an occasional hello or nod if he saw her in the hallway, but only because her mother was his mentor. He probably did so out of obligation considering he was a senior, and she was only a freshman. A nerdy, gawky-looking freshman with braces and whose mother was a science teacher at the school. Boys didn’t even notice her until her junior year, when she somewhat blossomed, but were scared to ask her out because of her mother.

When she was fourteen, she thought he was the most handsome boy she’d ever laid her eyes on. Now at twenty-two, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Her gaze casually roamed his chiseled face with the strong jaw line, butterscotch kissed skin and low-cut wavy hair. His deep, baritone voice—that sounded like a baby bird at the moment—sent electric shocks through every cell in her body. His over-powering presence seemed to take over the classroom. Around six feet one with a medium-build muscular frame, he was way too big for her rocking chair.

She grabbed her camera to take a few pictures of Cannon and her students for the Read-a-Thon bulletin board and for her personal photo album, of course.

She was disappointed when Cannon was done with his question and answer period. When she saw him glance at his watch, making a slight grimace, she knew it was time to wrap up.

“Thank you, boys and girls. I brought each of you a copy of Stellaluna.

The students cheered and clapped. Yasmine slipped from her desk and walked over to stand next to the rocking chair. His masculine, woodsy scent tantalized her nostrils, causing her to go weak for a second, but she quickly shifted gears and put on her teacher’s hat.

“What do we say, class?”

“Thank you, Mr. Arrington,” the students exclaimed in unison.

“You’re very welcome. It was my pleasure.” Cannon stood, and Yasmine’s heart sunk a little. He was leaving.

“Can you come back next Friday?” a little boy asked, and the rest of the class began to beg in their cute little six-year old voices. Yasmine silently begged in her head. Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

Cannon smiled sincerely at them. “I’ll set something up with your teacher, but it may not be next Friday.”

After the students gave him a group hug and high-fives, Cannon waited by the door while Yasmine dismissed the students to their desks and instructed them to begin working on the grammar questions on the board. She pressed play on the CD player and the sounds of Mozart filled the room. Once they were settled, she met Cannon at the back of the classroom.

“Thank you so much for reading to my class today. You did very well with them.”

“Thank you. I’m going to be a pediatrician one day, so I hope children will like me. I meant what I said about coming back. I’m always available to give a helping hand.” He reached into his wallet and handed her a card with his phone number and email address. “Just call me.”

His voice was smooth and casual with a hint of seduction, which flustered her to no end. She ran her hand through her hair and hoped when she spoke her tongue wouldn’t be tied in knots. “Thank … you,” she stammered. “The fall festival is coming up, and I’m sure the PTA will need extra help.”

“Whatever you need,” he said with a sexy half grin. “Well … I hate to read and run, but I have a study group meeting in an hour. Plus, I have to go back home to pick up my sister, Raven, whose car is acting up. She’s also in her second year at Meharry.”

“I remember your twin sister. Wow, you’re both in medical school? Your parents must be very proud.”

He chuckled, displaying his gorgeous smile and a cute dimple on his left cheek. “They are, but they’re both doctors. They’ve been training us since birth to be doctors as well. My brother, Sean, is at Morehouse and should be coming to Meharry in a few years if he can keep his mind on his books and not on the girls at Spelman.”

Yasmine laughed, even though deep down she was disappointed he had to leave.

“Well, I gotta go.” He stepped toward her, as if he was about to hug her, but then glanced at the students. Instead, they shook hands and a spark of static electricity shocked them both.  Her temperature rose, and she had a feeling her cheeks were flushed pink, as they always were when she was embarrassed.

He winked and a charismatic grin flashed across his handsome face.

“It was really, really good to see you again, Yasmine,” he said in a low, deep voice and squeezed her hand with a tender caress before letting it go.

After he left, she tried to put her focus on her class for the rest of the morning, but her thoughts kept racing back to Cannon.

Even though it had been almost eight years since she’d seen him, he still had the same captivating intellect and sexy charm that had attracted her to him in the first place. But now he was a grown man. Now she wanted him more than ever.

Copyright by Candace Shaw, November 2012

I hope you enjoyed chapter one. Check out the song and video that inspired Simply Amazing below.

Hello, all! I hope everyone is doing well. If you’re in the path of hurricane Sandy, please be safe. I just have a few updates I wanted to share as well as a never-shared before steamy excerpt from The Game of Seduction.

I’m currently working on a short prequel to the third book in the Arrington Family series, Simply Amazing. Its been slightly difficult to write because I’ve never written a short story before or at least not for publication. I’ve been writing, rewriting, editing, deleting entire chapters and writing again. I have to email it to the editor on November 15th. Hopefully, it will be out in December as a free read on the various ebook sites. The prequel takes places about 12 years before the third book in the series, Only One for Me.  Both books are about the oldest Arrington sibling, Cannon and his heroine, Yasmine Dubose. I’ll share the cover and the blurb for Simply Amazing with you all soon. Only One for Me will be released in late-spring 2013. I don’t have a specific month yet.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by author Bettye Griffin on her blog Chewing the Fat with Bettye. You can check out the interview here but after you read the snippet below unless you’ve already read the book. Happy reading!

CS

*Disclaimer: The following is an adult excerpt so please don’t read it around the kiddies.

An hour later, Bria was going through her closet when she heard her front door open and close. She stood very still, not because she thought it was a burglar but because she knew who it was. She had given Rasheed an emergency key when Shelbi moved out of the apartment building and across town when she got married, and now he was using it.

“Bria, I know you’re home,” he called out. “Your purse and keys are on the foyer table.”

Reluctantly, she walked out to the living area. He sat comfortably in the chair sipping on a bottle of water and looking very handsome.

“Now look, woman. We’re not going to play the avoid Rasheed game again, do you hear me?”

“Who said I was avoiding you?” She turned from the intensity on his face and walked into the kitchen. She wasn’t surprised when he followed her in there. He sat on one of the barstools at the island, and she leaned against the sink.

“Really? I woke up this morning, and you were gone. I’ve called your cell phone, and it keeps going to voice mail. So yes, I’d say you were avoiding me.”

“You want something to eat?”

“You can’t cook, Bree.”

“No, but I can make grilled cheese sandwiches and some curly fries.” She opened the freezer to retrieve the fries and to cool her face off. He looked so damn good in his blue jeans and a black sweater, she just wanted to say the hell to their friendship and seduce him right there.

She let out a surprised sigh as strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body against his hard one. His scent whiffed into her nostrils, and she wanted him to take her just like that, especially when she could feel the swell of his erection on her backside.

“You’re still avoiding me,” he whispered in her ear, his lips hovering over it. His voice was deep and heavy, sending a warm sensation through her.

“I … wasn’t avoiding you. I’m just … hungry.”

“Me too.” He dipped his tongue into the crook of her neck. “Hungry for you.”

She moaned and leaned her head back on Rasheed’s chest, feeling the hardness of it. It was comforting and warm just like his embrace that she hated to leave from that morning.

“I woke up ready for round four, and you weren’t there.” He placed kisses down her neck and kneaded her breasts whose nipples hardened as soon as he touched them.

She gave up trying to resist. “I’m here now,” she whispered. She closed the freezer, leaving the bag of fries on the shelf. He turned her around to face him, and he seized her lips as if he hadn’t seen her in forever. She parted her lips more to allow him better access to her tongue as he continued to kiss her with so much passion and vigor that it sent quivers of exhilaration down to her aching sex that craved to have him inside of her once more. She let out soft moans as she massaged his smooth head and deepened the kiss by pulling him closer to her.

His fingers skimmed the waistband of her sweatpants and another moan erupted as he pulled his lips from hers.

“Shhh. Be patient.” He kissed her gently once more and then stooped down to his knees and pulled her sweatpants to the floor. He halfway grinned. She was panty-less. “I see you were expecting me.”

Copyrighted by Candace Shaw August 2012

Chapter 1 Buy Links:  Amazon   Amazon UK  Barnes and Noble    Smashwords     All Romance eBooks   Diesel eBookstore   Sony

Well, I couldn’t title a book The Game of Seduction without some seduction games. The following excerpt is defintely rated R, so if you’re under 18, do not proceed any further or if the little ones are near and like to peek over your shoulder, read it later.

CS

Excerpt

Rasheed leaned against the wall in the VIP section sipping on rum and Coke and trying hard not to stare at Bria. Her short black dress was hugging her lethal curves, and he wanted to take it off and wrap her cocoa legs around his waist while she called out his name repeatedly. He tried to pretend to flirt with the groupies passing by, but they weren’t doing anything for him. Bria had awakened a passion and lust in him that he couldn’t ever remember feeling before. Her long hair fell over her right shoulder in a sexy manner, and he imagined running his hands through it or holding onto to it as he gave it to her from behind. The night before, he couldn’t sleep. The thought that she actually needed and wanted her flames of desire extinguished, prevented him from resting peacefully and filled his mind. Images of her naked mocha-kissed body next to him invaded his brain all night, and the erection that prevailed only went away after a cold shower.

Rasheed downed the rest of his drink, sat the glass on the table, and walked over to her as she held a conversation with Raven.

“Excuse me, ladies. Bree, do you wanna go dance?”

“Sure.” Bria excused herself from Raven and walked onto the dance floor.

The DJ was playing an upbeat party mix that included Lady Ga Ga, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Rihanna. Rasheed danced behind Bria, grinding on her to the fast beat. He was surprised she hadn’t resisted, especially when he pulled her by the hips close to him and a hard-on started to manifest, but she continued dancing, swishing her butt on him in an erotic manner as if they were naked and joined together. When Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” came on, she turned around to face him and sung the entire song as she continued her seductive dance on him.

He bent down and whispered in her ear.

“You keep doing that, you’ll find out how rude this boy is. Because trust me, baby, I’m more than big enough, but the question is, can you take it?” He gave her a slow grind so she could feel exactly how hard he was.

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes with a sexy, confident expression on her face.

“I can handle all of you.” She caressed the back of his neck, and he knew it was time to go before he pulled up her dress on the dance floor.

“Let’s get out of here,” he groaned as his erection hardened more by her confident words.

Once in the limo, Bria straddled his lap and her dress rose around her hips to reveal a pair of black lace panties. His lips sought out hers, and he kissed her slow, nibbling on her bottom lip.

“I’ve been aching to kiss you again, Bree,” he said. He pulled her tongue further into his mouth, savoring the sweetness of it and feeling himself completely losing his mind. “You have the sexiest lips that I can’t get enough of.”

She answered him with a sensual moan which caused him to kiss her even deeper as he ran his fingers through her flowing hair. Her hips gyrated slowly on his hard erection through his pants. He slid one hand down to her panties, pushed them to the side, and inserted a finger into her.

She threw her head back and held onto to him tightly around his neck. He planted kisses on her throat while darting his finger in and out of her. The more he did so, the wetter she became, turning him on even further.

“Why are you so wet, Bree?” he whispered roughly in her ear, kissing it in the process.

A sigh was her answer.

He groaned at how good her body felt against him, her hands cupping his head and her passionate moans in his ear. He realized she’d already seduced him in a way that had nothing to do with sex. She was beginning to have full control over his heart and mind. She stirred his emotions in ways he didn’t have words for yet, but for now, he wanted to please her and hear more of her breathless moans that he had provoked.

“Did I do it, baby? Huh? Am I the one making you so damn wet?” He slipped another finger in, pumping them both fast in and out of her slick canal.

“Yes!” she cried out.

“Who?” He looked deep into her eyes.

“You.”

“What’s my name, Bria?”

“Rasheed.” Her voice was breathless, and she squeezed his shoulders tight. She buried her head in his chest as she bounced up and down on his fingers. He was ready to flip her over, unzip his pants, and place all of his hard length inside of her.

“Who’s making you feel so good?”

“You are, Rasheed.”

“That’s right, baby, I am. No other man has ever made you feel like this and no other man ever will. You hear me?”

“Yes. Mmm … that feels so good, Rasheed. I need to have you inside me right now.”

“Be patient. We’re almost there.”

“Please, Rasheed. I have a condom in my purse.” She began to unzip his pants.

“What kind is it?”

“I don’t know. Just a condom I got out of the machine in the ladies room at the club.”

“Baby, I doubt that thing will fit half of what I got in my boxers. Be patient.” He glanced out of the window. “Besides, the limo is pulling into my driveway now.”

“Oh!” Bria hopped off of his lap and straightened her dress.

A few moments later, the driver opened the door. Bria stepped out and walked quickly to the porch.

“Thanks, man. Here’s a little something extra for you having to work on New Year’s Eve.” Rasheed handed the driver an envelope. “Thank you for getting us home safe.”

“No problem, Mr. Vincent. Have a Happy New Year.” The driver gave a wink.

“Oh I will. Believe me, I will.”

***** 

Bria stood on the front porch all in a frenzy waiting for him to finish speaking with the driver. Rasheed had set her on fire in the limo, and she knew it wasn’t because she hadn’t had sex in a while. It was him, Rasheed Vincent, turning her out like a teenaged, sex-crazed girl who had just lost her virginity and couldn’t get enough of the guy who took it.

She leaned on the front door to steady herself. The limo pulled away, and Rasheed strode up the steps. His eyes were dark and seemed almost possessed as they raked her body with a fierceness that drove tingles through her. He closed the gap between them and in one swoop lifted her up on his hard body. She wrapped her legs around his torso and cupped her hands around his bald head.

“I can’t wait to get inside,” he whispered before claiming her lips with a wild kiss. Her emotions of lust were running high, making her temperature rise. She was about to break out into a sweat even though it was thirty degrees outside.

“You mean the house or me?”

“Both.”

“Where are the keys?”

“The house key is in my pants’ pocket, and the key for you is in my silk boxers.”

She chuckled. “Okay, well, we have to get into the house first.”

“Reach into my left pocket.”

She moved her hand down to his pocket, but instead of finding his keys she stumbled upon a very hard erection. It was long and hard as brick. It hardened even more in response to her touch. He was right. The condom she bought at the club was a regular-sized one and wouldn’t even fit on what she was feeling.

“Wrong key, Bree,” he teased.

“Oh yeah.” She rummaged around until she felt his key ring, pulled it out, and handed it to him.

“Are you going to put me down first?”

“I’ll put you down when I get you to the bed.” He kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers. “Besides, I can bench press twice your weight. Hold on tight.”

He opened the door, turned off the alarm and closed the door back while she still held onto him. She shivered with anticipation as he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. His eyes never left her face. They held an expression she hadn’t seen ever before from him, and it shook her to the core. Intense. Sexual. Animalistic. She almost feared him but not in the true sense of the word. She was scared that once she slept with Rasheed, she would fall for him more than she already had.

*****

He laid her down onto the soft comforter and stretched his long body next to hers. With his head over hers, he stared deeply into her eyes as he tenderly caressed her cheek with his hand. Every fiber in her body was awake as he ran his hand down the length of her body, each touch sending excitement through her veins. She shuddered as he dragged his lips across her cheek and gently kissed the side of her mouth. She was in awe over his tender handling of her, and she turned her mouth to his, tasting the sweet essence of his lips that stroked hers with an intensity she’d never experienced before. Her hands rested on either side of his bald head as he continued ravishing her lips with his as soft moans—which she had no control over—escaped her mouth. He moved on top of her pulling her legs up and wrapping them around his waist.

She closed her eyes so she could better feel his touch on her lips. His kiss deepened as his mouth tasted and pulled on her lips making them swollen. He was kissing her as if she was all his, as if he was taking possession over her which turned her on even more. The moistness between her legs became even slicker as she felt his erection rub against her panties. She met his kisses with more vigor and hunger. The power he had over her was causing her to lose her mind and heart to him with each caress of his lips.

“I wanted you so bad, Bree,” he said in an intoxicating tone. “I promise to show you just how much.”

The passion which erupted in her veins charged through at the intensity of his words. She grasped his shoulders tight to hold onto the roller coaster ride he had her on. When he pulled away from her, she let out a wounded cry.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m nowhere near done. Just taking off this damn tuxedo jacket.” He tossed it to the floor, ripped off his bow tie and sent it flying somewhere across the bedroom.

She sat up and met him, both standing on their knees in the bed. He tossed the pillow shams aside and pulled the comforter to expose the sheets. His lips sought hers once more, claiming power over them and her heart, which was racing with raw pleasure.

“What are you doing to me, Bree?” he asked in an aroused tone as he planted kisses on her neck. “I’ve wanted to taste your beautiful, succulent lips again since the day of the wedding. I can’t sleep without thinking about kissing you and hearing your soft moans as I make love to you.”

“Oh, Rasheed. Please don’t stop,” she moaned.

“I don’t intend to.” His tongue probed into her mouth as he pushed her back on the bed, her legs straddling around his waist once more. “I want to satisfy you in every way possible. I want to know every inch of your body. I want to know where all of your hot spots are and find the ones that never existed until I provoked them, making them mine. Do you hear me, Bree?”

“Yes,” she managed to stumble out.

The grandfather clock in his bedroom struck midnight. They both turned their attention to the clock and then back to each other.

“You know they say what you’re doing at midnight is what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year,” Rasheed said looking down at her with such an intense expression that her right leg began to shake uncontrollable. That only happened when she was nervous. The thought of making love with Rasheed for the rest of the year was mind-boggling.

He claimed her lips once more, feasting on her mouth, licking and nibbling her lips as if he’d caught his prey and couldn’t get enough to please his appetite. There wasn’t a part of her mouth he hadn’t touched, and her kisses matched his with the same hunger and need.

“Wait right here.” He got up, reached into the drawer next to the bed and grabbed a handful of condoms. He then dragged the comforter off of the bed taking two of the pillow shams with him. She watched as he kneeled down with the items in front of the fireplace, spreading the comforter on the floor and tossing the pillows on top. He pressed the button on the remote to turn the fire back on.

“Come to me, Bria.” His tone was dark and sexy. Sinful. Passionate. She obeyed and walked over to him slowly as he began to unbutton his shirt. As he undid each button, her heart raced faster as his dark chocolate flesh was exposed, taunting her with his smooth muscles. He threw the shirt on the floor and started to unzip his pants. He tossed his shoes off and pulled down his pants along with his silk boxers to expose the monster of the hard erection she’d felt through his clothes. She stopped dead in her tracks for a second as she realized where all of it was going.

“Don’t worry, baby. You can handle it. I’ll make sure.”

She continued walking until she stood directly in front of him. She glided her hands down his chest to his abs and stopped just below his belly button.

“Take off your dress,” he said in the same tone as before that made her blood boil.

She pulled down the side zipper, slid the dress over her curves and stepped out of it along with her shoes. He stepped back and ran his eyes over her body from head to toe. She could feel the heat and passion of his eyes sweep over her and an inferno erupted through every cell of her body.

“You are simply beautiful, Bree,” he whispered in a lust-filled tone.

Copyrighted by Candace Shaw, August 2012

I hope you enjoyed the steamy excerpt. Buy links below to find out how Rasheed and Bria’s love story ends!

Chapter 1 Buy Links:  Amazon  Amazon UK  Barnes and Noble    Smashwords     

Hello, everyone!

I’m happy to announce the winners of the $5.00 Amazon virtual giftcards are Beckey White and Mary Preston! Congrats! Email me at Candace.Shaw@aol.com to claim your giftcard. Happy reading.

The winner of the scavenger hunt who will be a character in my very first short story as well as the third book in the Arrington Family series, is Sherika Williams! I also have a second place winner, Ollie Moss. Ollie you’ll be in the third book.  Ladies, I’ll be emailing you some questions next week that I’ll need for the upcoming short story or novel. Don’t worry, nothing personal. Everything will be made up for the most part, except your name and a few personality traits, favorite color, etc.  Congrats to everyone who participated. I was quite pleased with the responses and will do another scavenger hunt or contest in the future.

Below are the answers to the questions of the scavenger hunt.

1. Shelbi and Justin met on the trolley.

2. Cannon: Pediatrician, Raven: ObGyn, Sean: Psychiatrist, Bria: Allergist, Shelbi: Endocronoligist (after she completes her resisdency)

3. Go to Hawaii, be a published author,  meet Beyonce, buy a vacation home and road trip across the United States with my husband

4. The Fabulous Life Series/Megan Chase

5. At Justin’s restaurant

6. A crystal Ferris Wheel

7. My husband

8. A teacher

9. I’m an only child

10. Lillian’s Dinner and Blues Club

11. Weimaraner

12. Handcuffs, blindfold, earplugs, massage oil, champagne and a red lacy bra and thong set

13. My dear friend’s maiden name is “Arrington”

*****

I’m currently working on a short story, which is a first for me because I’m used to writing full-length novels. But I decided to do a prequel to the third book in the Arrington Family series, Only One for Me so you can meet the oldest of the Arrington family, Cannon. I’ll post a chapter a week on my website toward the end of the year for about 8 to 10 weeks depending upon how long the story is, but I intend to keep it short (under 15,000 words) yet fun, flirty and sexy!  Afterwards, it will be a free read on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks.  No title or cover yet, but I’m working on it next week and will share once I have it available.

And for those of you who are wondering about answer number 12 in the scavenger hunt, you’ll have to read The Game of Seduction to find out. Information is below. Have a great weekend!

CS

Blurb

Dr. Bria Arrington has had her heart broken by one bad boy playboy and doesn’t want to travel down that road again. However, she finds herself attracted to her best friend, self-proclaimed bachelor, Rasheed Vincent. After a passionate kiss leaves them desiring more, seducing each other is the only cure.

A retired basketball player, Rasheed is a player on and off the court. When a woman gets too close, he bounces to the next one. But the condition he’s in makes him want a permanent dose of Bria’s love, and he’s ready for the shot. She knows falling in love with Rasheed is a prescription for trouble, yet she is willing to risk it. But can she trust him with her heart?

The Game of Seduction is the second book in the Arrington Family Series.

Chapter 1 Buy Links:  Amazon   Amazon UK  Barnes and Noble    Smashwords     All Romance eBooks  Diesel ebook Store