![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bookmaven623.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/10\/alyssa.jpg\" "\\"Alyssa\\"")
<\/a>Thank you Book Maven for giving me the chance to share a bit of my ramblings on your blog.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s October and I\u2019m Falling in love …<\/p>\n
Autumn is beautiful in the Northeastern US and being the outdoorsy type, I get out and about to enjoy all its splendor as much as I can.\u00a0 Crisp air in my lungs and a cornucopia of colors to put an awe inspired smile on my face; no wonder my writing tends to slow down during this time of year.\u00a0 I\u2019m always outside!<\/p>\n
I wrote my first MMF set in the early days of Fall when Indian Summer is a special treat for those mourning the end of their playful days in the sun.\u00a0 By Surprise follows an unlikely trio in Paxton, Nicholas and Jodi as they find a kind of completion none of them knew was possible.\u00a0 Like the joy an unseasonably warm day tends to bring, the desires Jodi has for her best friend and his loving husband seem impossible to ever become a lasting reality.<\/p>\n
But what if the leaves fall and the air turns cold and there is still warmth to be found?\u00a0 It\u2019s the courage to fight for what seems impossible that Jodi has to find.<\/p>\n
By Surprise was released earlier this year from Etopia Press, excerpt below.\u00a0\u00a0 You can find another friends to lovers m\u00e9nage in my story Thrills and Chills, Halloween Heat V anthology.\u00a0\u00a0 Celebrate the release of this smoking hot collection with our $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!<\/p>\n
Excerpt:<\/strong> By Surprise<\/p>\n He\u2019d caught her staring out at him again from her perch high above in the turret. Maybe she couldn\u2019t tell that he could see her, clear as day, at the window. Maybe she didn\u2019t care. Finally he waved and she waved back. One mystery solved, she knew he could see her now. And then she was gone. Nicholas wondered if he\u2019d scared her off.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally got some good weather on my day off. Thought I\u2019d join you for some fresh air,\u201d Jodi called out as the screen door slapped closed behind her on the back porch. Her face was smudged with clay where she\u2019d brushed her hair from her face. She\u2019d been up in her studio all morning. It was hard to tell which splatters on her overalls were fresh and which resulted from another masterpiece all together.<\/p>\n What Nicholas couldn\u2019t mistake was the bright smile splashed across her face as she walked over to him. He spiked his shovel into the soil and leaned on it as she approached. Perspiration soaked his shirt and he pulled at the cotton fabric as it clung to his chest. A swipe of his wrist over his brow and he laughed. \u201cYou might not want to get that close.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not afraid of a little man sweat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWarm day for October,\u201d he said, noticing her long neck. Even in dirty old overalls she managed to look elegant, with her upswept hair falling from a high ponytail in wavy tendrils.<\/p>\n She pushed an errant lock behind her ear. \u201cNicholas, I\u2019m really not the kind of girl to talk about the weather.\u201d With a smile she sat down in the grass and stretched out, patting the ground next to her. \u201cPop a squat for a second. Take a break.\u201d<\/p>\n She stared at him, badass through the glaring sun, propped up on her elbows, one of her straps falling off her shoulder. Nicholas thought the invitation sounded too good to refuse, and she looked like she wasn\u2019t taking no for an answer. He took a seat. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me how you and Paxton met.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas grinned. He loved telling that story. \u201cYou know when you have one of those days when nothing goes right?\u201d<\/p>\n Jodi laughed. \u201cYeah, had more than my share.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019d just gotten my first case assignment, a teenager who\u2019d been giving his stepmother a hard time about getting his ass to school. I go to see them, and the kid was a real piece of work, throwing things and cursing me out like I was his worst enemy or something. I\u2019m telling him if he doesn\u2019t calm down, I\u2019ll have to call the police\u2014you know, following procedure. That just makes him angrier, and now he\u2019s standing on a chair, telling me he\u2019s going to kick the shit out of me if I don\u2019t leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Jodi nodded for him to continue, following his every word.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re wondering if he did, kick the shit out of me that is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas lay down next to her and stared at the blue sky above, seeing the scene play out in front of him like it was yesterday. \u201cSo this is my first case and I want to play it by the book, you follow? I try to reassure him, let him know that I\u2019m here to help him get a handle on his problems. He tells me to eat shit and jumps me, fists swinging.\u201d<\/p>\n Jodi leaned over him. \u201cNot that pretty face of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas raised his eyebrows with a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking. Hell no, I have a date tonight. This fucker is not going to give me a fat lip. He swings and I grab his shirt, yank him off balance. When he\u2019s on the ground, I tell him to apologize to his stepmother or I\u2019m <\/i>going to kick the shit out of him<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot exactly procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cNo, not exactly. To make it worse, the neighbor had already called the police and guess who comes walking in right at that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaxton.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll rookie tough, throwing me against the wall.\u201d Nicholas sprung a sideways grin and cocked his head. \u201cAt the time, I was scared shitless of what was going to happen. But somehow I still registered how hot he looked in his uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a great story,\u201d Jodi mused.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s more. I tell him my name and that I\u2019m a social worker. He asks for ID. That day I\u2019d decided a lanyard around my neck did nothing for the mist gray cashmere sweater I was wearing, and I had my ID in my pocket. I told him where to find it and he had a hell of a time fishing it out.\u201d Nicholas chuckled. \u201cLet\u2019s just say the rest is history. When he ran out of reasons to follow up with me, he asked me to dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe date you had set up that night, did you go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI canceled. Couldn\u2019t decide if the day had been a bad omen or a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTurned out pretty good, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned. \u201cYeah, it did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for sharing that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas sat up, pausing a moment before leaning toward her. \u201cHow about you? Feel like sharing?\u201d Since she\u2019d been there, he\u2019d only heard through Paxton about her rough time in Germany. Jodi looked mortified, casting her eyes past him to the squirrel scurrying up the side of the shed. He\u2019d suspected she wasn\u2019t the type to spill her feelings easily, though it looked like she needed to. The fear in her eyes told him now was not the time.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about sharing what you\u2019ve been working on up in your studio for the past two weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n She relaxed and tossed her head back, batting her lashes with exaggeration. \u201cAh, wouldn\u2019t you like to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas had the sudden urge to tickle that long, slender neck, stretching out before him. Impulsively, his fingers found their way to it for a swift, playful pass against her skin while he mocked her with a frown. \u201cYou are a tease.\u201d<\/p>\n And there was smoke in her eyes when she responded, \u201cHow did you guess?\u201d<\/p>\n She was flirting; a harmless habit Nicholas supposed. \u201cI\u2019m an excellent judge of character,\u201d he replied as the last finger swept from her chin. He\u2019d touched her because it had seemed natural in the moment. But the sensation focused in his pants brought on by the way she looked at him was completely unexpected.<\/p>\n Then he was fidgety all of a sudden, shoving his hand into his hair and swiping at the dust on his pants as he stood up. \u201cWould you like something to drink? Some water?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s tonic water and there\u2019s some gin in it,\u201d she answered, standing as well. \u201cI brought a bottle home last night. Join me?\u201d<\/p>\n A fog was already forming in his head. Adding alcohol would only make it worse. He needed to get back to work and try to forget the invitation in her eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t think so; I want to get this place ready for winter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWinter? It\u2019s almost seventy-five degrees out here. I think you can spare time for one drink.\u201d She shoved her hands into her pockets and looked up at him, swaying with the breeze that wafted over the yard. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a peek at what I\u2019ve been working on. It\u2019s a surprise for Paxton\u2019s birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou remembered it\u2019s next week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, which means I don\u2019t have a hell of a lot of time to finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholas thought about the birthday present he\u2019d promised. They hadn\u2019t said so exactly, but with all the commotion over the last couple of weeks, the subject of a threesome had dropped way low on the priority list. Still, Nicholas wanted Paxton\u2019s thirtieth birthday to be special, and with Jodi suddenly back in his life, Paxton would definitely want her to be a part of it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Paxton that wants her to take part. <\/i>Nicholas shook his head and fought the notions tiptoeing in the dark, whispering forbidden words from an unfamiliar place. When he\u2019d suggested a threesome, he\u2019d banked on not feeling a thing. Paxton was the switch hitter, not him. Inviting a woman to their bed was his gift for Paxton to satisfy his cravings. And it was supposed to be meaningless. One look at Jodi and it was clear she\u2019d turn everything upside-down.<\/p>\n He sought refuge in a new idea. \u201cI\u2019ll throw a dinner party. A surprise. Invite the neighbors and some friends. You\u2019ll like them. Three-layer birthday cake, the whole nine yards.\u201d That seemed like a much safer idea than an intimate dinner with just the three of them. \u201cYou can give him the big reveal then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe big reveal. You make it sound so theatrical.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting to know you better, I\u2019m sure it will be.\u201d The edge eased off and he waved her to the house. \u201cCome on, I want to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the drink?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou fix the drinks. I\u2019ll start planning the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n