Tag Archives: excerpts

Of Black Cats and Bordellos…

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

Okay, so it wasn’t really a bordello–I was going for alliteration–but it was a former massage parlor (yes, as in “happy ending” kind of massages) where I did a live reading last night. The lovely ladies of Ravenous Romance, Lori Perkins, Debra Hyde and Celia Tan, hosted author Stella Price and me for an October eve of paranormal erotic readings for the patrons of the Happy Ending Lounge located on Broome Street in NYC’s Chinatown.

Besides the colorful atmosphere accentuated by the red booths and red lights, it was extra fun for me in particular because it was an opportunity to bring out and read from a 2006 contemporary paranormal short that I love–BLACK CAT.

The story behind the writing of BLACK CAT is this–after losing our beloved dog to cancer back in 2001, we’d gone to the animal shelter in search of a new member for our family and while walking through the aisles of cages, a black paw reached out of a bottom cage and grabbed onto our legs. We took him out and found him to be the biggest, blackest, and sweetest tempered adult tom cat we’d ever met. Of course we had to take him home, he’d picked us! But after getting him home, we realized this was no ordinary cat. His habits, his personality, his behaviors all led me to say more than once this was no ordinary cat. It was almost as if he’d been human in a past life and those traits were still evident in this cat incarnation. Now I’m not a ‘woo woo’ kind of person seeing strange things where there are none, but having owned over a dozen cats in my life, I know what normal cat behavior is, and this cat is not normal.

That is what led to my writing BLACK CAT, which began life in a now out of print multi-author, witch-themed Halloween anthology and is currently available as a FREE READ on AllRomance.com. The hero is a warrior who pisses off a witch 1000 years ago and she turns him into an immortal cat destined to roam the world in a feline body but with a man’s mind. That would surely explain the intelligence I see in my own Black Cat’s eyes, and the fact he insists on sleeping in my bed with his body under the covers and his head on a pillow each night.

Bringing the story out again last night for the reading made me remember how much I truly love this short, and since now is the season of the witch, I thought I’d share the prologue I read at the Happy Endings Lounge last night here with you.  If you enjoy what you read, download the entire free read and see what happens to my warrior in his cat life, and afterward when the 1,000 year curse finally ends and he wakes up in his female owner’s bed no longer a cat, but a man.

Enjoy!

1,000 years ago 

Someone was singing, a woman. Sweet and melodic.

Well, that settled it. He must be in heaven. But then why did his head ache so? His arm, too, now that he thought about it. There shouldn’t be pain in heaven. Then his blurred brain realized. He must be in hell. It shouldn’t surprise him, really. He was a warrior. Killing was part of his life. And even though it was in the name of his king, killing was killing.

He remembered now the battle that had finally ended his life. The sound of horses’ hooves thundering around him, vibrating his skull as he lay helplessly on the cold October ground. The pungent mingled smells of earth, sweat, and fresh blood, his own and that of others, increasing the ever present throbbing in his head. Seeing from his vantage point on the ground other bodies strewn across the field of battle. The slow moving human vultures as they preyed upon the fallen, one by one.

He had tried to push himself up with his one arm that wasn’t broken, but his chain mail was too heavy and his body too weakened from his injuries. Finally, accepting his fate, he had simply closed his eyes. He’d said a quick prayer as the blessed darkness took over and erased his pain…and his life.

But now the pain was back. He was surely in hell. So be it. If he were in hell, he would just have to learn to live with it, so to speak.  But that still didn’t explain the singing.

He pried open one eye. Even just the light of the flickering flame of the fire felt like a knife cutting through his brain. If this pain were to be his fate for eternity, it would be extremely unpleasant, to say the least.

His vision cleared enough for him to take in his surroundings. Apparently hell, for him anyway, was a small cottage filled with many cats and lots of herbs hanging from the ceiling. A woman faced away from him, cooking something in a cauldron over the fire in the hearth.

He frowned. Odd. The priests who preached of hell had mentioned fire and brimstone, but not this deceivingly domestic scene. Although, whatever the woman was cooking smelled like it could only have originated in hell. He wrinkled his nose against the foul odor.

She ceased her singing and turned. “Ah, finally he wakes.” She came closer and peered at him. One work- roughened hand grasped his chin so she could angle his face toward the light.

He squinted his eyes against the pain in his head.

“Tell me my fate, oh mistress of hell.” He noted that the neckline of her dress was cut so low he could almost see the tops of her nipples. Hmm… But of course, hell wouldn’t be filled with virtuous women, now would it?

“Mistress of hell? That’s the thanks I get for saving your miserable life? I knew I should have taken the fat ugly one instead.” She seemed to be speaking now to one of the cats instead of to him. “The pretty ones are never grateful. Isn’t that right, Sebastian?” She cackled, seemingly amused at her own jest, the meaning of which escaped him.

He tried to see past the agony in his skull to get a better look at her. The only way to describe her was…ageless. She didn’t seem young, but somehow she was not old, either. Definitely, she was not what he would define as beautiful. Far from it. But yet, he found it impossible to look away.  Her eyes appeared as black as her hair and he couldn’t break from their gaze.

Spellbound. That was how he felt.

She ladled some of the foul smelling liquid she had been cooking into a small bone cup and used her breath to cool it. Stronger than she looked, she raised him easily into a sitting position on the bed with one arm and pressed the cup to his lips. He drank in spite of the fact he had no desire to do so.

As he swallowed all of it, the bitter evil brew had the strangest effect upon him. Suddenly, his head no longer ached, and his arm ceased its throbbing, feeling almost as good as it had before he broke it in the battle. He was just thinking that perhaps hell wasn’t going to be so bad when he felt a familiar stirring between his legs. He watched in amazement as the blanket covering his manhood rose. His face grew hot as his hands instinctively moved to hide the source of his embarrassment.

The woman only nodded, looking pleased. “Magic is strong during Samhain. My warrior is stronger than I’d hoped, isn’t he, Sebastian? Perhaps I did pick the right one. And you know I do like them pretty.” She laughed again and pulled the blanket from him, exposing his nakedness. “Time to thank me for saving your life, warrior.”

He watched in horror, unable to move as she raised her skirts and straddled him. “I’m not dead?” he managed to croak as her one hand grabbed him and began stroking him intimately, almost lovingly.

“Dead? No. You are not dead. But you are mine for as long as I wish it. So please me well and live to see another day, warrior.” She turned to the cat again, “Isn’t that right, Sebastian?”

The cat turned and walked away, but the warrior could have sworn he saw a look of human sympathy in its feline eyes.

He lay helpless, as if in a dream world. And though his mind whispered that something was wrong, his cock beneath her touch screamed for satisfaction far more loudly.

His mind and his body warred until something snapped within him, something strong enough to fight the effects of whatever was in what she had given him to drink. Finding strength he didn’t think he had, he flung the woman off of him and jumped to his feet. She landed on the floor with fire shooting from her eyes. She rose slowly, mumbling words in a language he didn’t understand.

Her chant grew louder and stronger until it seemed to vibrate the walls of the cottage. Clay pots fell off shelves while the cats scattered for shelter. Then a pain tore through him the likes of nothing he had ever felt before and he heard a blood curdling scream rip through the air.

He realized the scream was his own as he fell and writhed on the floor.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain was gone and he could stand again. He rose on four fur- covered feet and stood, eye-to-eye, with Sebastian.

The EX-Files-The Newest RED Book is OUT!

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

As “Plain Jane” Dolan—what an ex once called her—makes her way through her little black book and the men from her past searching for the Mr. Right who got away, there’s another man who makes his way into her little black panties. She can’t deny he feels oh so right.

Gorgeous and much too young Damian serves up both tongue-tantalizing cocktails and mind-boggling orgasms and Jane finds her post-date sexual encounters with the tempting bartender completely irresistible.

But her soulmate is waiting and there are still more men from her past to re-date—or are there?

Reader Advisory: Contains smoking hot sex with no strings–but with toys!

EXCERPT:

Damian hefted the rack full of dirty glasses onto the stainless counter. The guy they’d just hired as a dishwasher would take care of cleaning them in the morning. Damian’s shift had come to an end and thank God washing the dishes before he could leave was not part of it.

Back out front, he headed for the door to lock up and was surprised to find he wasn’t alone. He stepped behind Jane where she stood fumbling in her bag by the restroom door. “Hey, there. I thought you’d gone home.”

“I was trying to call a cab, but I don’t have a number. So I thought I’d call information but I can’t seem to find my phone in this stupid purse. Then I thought I could call on the payphone, but you don’t have a payphone. Then I needed to go to the ladies room.” Jane swept one arm toward the restroom, threw off her balance and swayed.

He reached out with both hands to steady her. “Whoa. Easy. And just so you know, I always have numbers for cabs behind the bar. I even would have called one for you if you’d asked me.”

When he was certain she was standing okay on her own two feet, he let her go, not that it was any hardship holding on to her. Not at all. Of all the women who came to hang out at his bar, Jane was always a pleasure to be around, not to mention to look at.

“I didn’t want to bother you. You looked busy, with that big…thing of yours.” Her face colored. “The thing you carried, not your big thing.”

Damian laughed. “Yeah, I got it. You meant the rack of glasses.”

“Yeah, that must be what I meant. Because it would be rude to talk about, you know, your other big thing.”

Usually drunks were annoying. However Jane being drunk was proving to be absolutely adorable. He smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. I never mind talking about any thing, my thing included, when it’s with a cute girl.”

A scowl creased her brow. “Unfortunately, I’m not a girl anymore.”

“You’re right. You’re definitely a woman.” A successful, smart, attractive, funny and very inebriated woman who he should be putting in a cab home rather than noticing how one of the buttons on her blouse had opened and he could clearly see the lace of her bra. She wasn’t big up top, but what was there was really nice. Huge tits, especially the fake ones, were overrated in his opinion.

Jane frowned and touched her head. “I think I had too much to drink.”

“Mm, hm. I think you’re right.” And that was his fault. He’d been having so much fun mixing drinks for them he hadn’t realized what the combination of liquors, as much as the amount, would do to two women. Candice had gotten into her cab fine. Drunk yes, but functioning, but Jane seemed to be handling the alcohol less well. He’d keep that in mind when pouring for her from now on. She required a lighter hand.

That thought had him thinking other far from bartenderly thoughts about his hands on her.

“Damian?”

“Yes, Jane.”

“I’m attractive, aren’t I?”

He nodded. “Yes, you are. Very.”

“Then why am I alone? I mean I’m not even talking about being unmarried. I mean alone like I burnt out the motor on my vibrator last week and now I have to buy a new one.”

And now he had a hard-on. Wow. That was some piece of information. It put a hell of a visual in his head. Jane, splayed out on her bed, working herself to an orgasmic frenzy.

Damn.

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Smashwords ISBN: 978-1-4661-0637-6

EDUCATING ANSLEY EXCERPT

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

Educating Ansley Cat Johnson RED~a RED hot erotica ménage with cowboys by Cat Johnson

Gossip Girl meets the Dukes of Hazard with a whole lot of red hot sex thrown in–that is Educating Ansley, the first title in the Cat Johnson RED line.

Connecticut’s rich and beautiful summer at mansions in the Hamptons not on a ranch in Colorado, but that’s exactly where society girl Ansley Craig’s been banished by her grandmother just for having a little too much fun at a graduation party.

She expects to find cows and boredom at the Kane ranch. What she doesn’t count on are the Kane brothers. Ansley may have the college degree, but Jeremy and Ryan are two cowboys who can teach her a few things she didn’t learn in school.

Reader Advisory: Expect one spoiled rich girl engaging in frequent sexual acts including multiple partner situations, same sex play, anal sex and even a roll in the hay.

Enjoy this PG 17 EXCERPT from EDUCATING ANSLEY 

Ryan slowed and steered the truck onto the access road for the ranch.

The trip had been pretty much silent, which wasn’t a surprise judging by how unhappy his passenger had looked when he’d met her at Hank’s. “Here we are.”

She finally turned from staring out the passenger window. “What do you mean, here we are?”

“We just pulled onto the ranch.”

A frown creased her pretty brow. “I don’t see anything.”

“Well not yet you won’t. It’s two thousand acres. We have to drive a bit before you see the buildings.”

“Two thousand?”

“Yeah.” Did she actually look impressed? If she had, her interest disappeared just as quickly as it had come and the puss returned… Until the lake came into view and she sat forward in her seat, gaze glued to the view.

“Wait! Stop.”

He slammed on the brakes. “What? What’s wrong?”

She’d cried out like he’d run over an animal or something, but he was pretty sure he would have noticed if he’d done that.

The minute the truck stopped she flung open the passenger door and hopped out. Cursing under his breath, he put the truck in park, turned off the ignition and followed her, only to see her making a beeline directly for the water and dropping her clothes along the way as she went.

She’d already pulled off her shirt and had just reached back and released the closure on her bra when he called out, “What are you doing?”

“Cooling off.” Glancing over her shoulder she answered him before the bra hit the grass. She kicked off her shoes and pushed her skirt down her incredibly long legs.

His brother had been right. This girl was looking for trouble and right now he suspected she was also looking for a reaction from him. Her tiny lace panties followed and then, stripped totally bare ass naked, she turned and stood before him as if challenging him to stop her.

To his credit, he didn’t give her what she wanted. All he did was cross his arms and lean against the truck. “All right. If you’re going in for a swim, then go on. I’ll wait.”

“Don’t you want to come in with me?” Her suggestive smile, not to mention her smoking hot and very nude body, could easily have lured a hundred guys into the water after her, but Ryan stood his ground. A certain portion of his anatomy was standing now as well.

He let his eyes wander long enough to take note she was bare of hair as well as clothing. Not even one tiny bit of hair had been left as proof she was a natural blonde. Smooth pussy was Ryan’s downfall. He’d never been able to resist it. He better learn how now and fast.

Of course, like any good flirt, she noticed both his attention and his hard-on. She let her gaze very pointedly drop to his crotch. “Come on. You know you want to.”

He suspected she wasn’t talking just about swimming. This girl needed to be taken down a notch and he was just the man to do it. He liked a confident woman, but this one was just plain cocky.

“Nah. Thanks. I’m good.”

“Fine.” She shrugged like it didn’t matter, but before she spun away he saw the small frown knit her brow.

Ansley dove into the water. Once she was submerged, Ryan released the breath he’d been holding. As she swam across the pond and pretended to ignore him, Ryan pulled out his cell phone. His brother answered on the first ring.

“Jeremy. She’s frigging naked and swimming in our pond.”

His brother’s frustrated huff of breath was clearly audible through the phone. “Damn it, Ryan. Can’t you even get her home without something happening?”

Why did he always get blamed for everything? “What was I supposed to do? She jumped out of the truck and started flinging her clothes off. Just be glad I didn’t join her in there the way she wanted me to.”

“Just make sure you don’t.” The warning was clear in Jeremy’s tone of voice. “It’s partially my fault I guess. I gave her that second drink. I should have known too much liquor in that girl would make her even more crazy.”

Crazy. Usually that was a trait Ryan liked to see a little of in a woman, but not when he was in charge of them.

Unfortunately for him, she didn’t stay under long enough. Before he knew it, she was standing up again, and so was that uncooperative part of him. “I gotta go. She’s getting out.”

“Bring her right to the house.” Jeremy enunciated every word as if Ryan were in kindergarten.

“I’ll do my best. See ya later.” Ryan flipped his phone shut and shoved it in his pocket before Jeremy could lecture him any more.

Meanwhile every man’s fantasy had emerged from the water and was walking toward him, every inch of her dripping wet. Resisting Ansley naked was one thing, but seeing her drenched and naked was quite another. She was a literal wet dream as she paraded directly at him, bending occasionally to retrieve the clothes she’d scattered on the grass. She didn’t put them on though, just held them in her hand. He really wished she’d put them on.

“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” He needed her to be covered up, because he was starting to throb just from looking at her. It didn’t matter if she was off limits. He was a man, after all.

“I thought I’d dry off a bit first.” She stopped so close he could see every individual drop of water dripping from her hair and rolling down her high, tight breasts.

She took another step closer. Just the tip of her nipples pressed against him until he could feel the water from those glorious peaks soaking through his shirt to his skin. Reaching past him she dropped the bundle of clothes in the back of the truck, then put both hands on his chest.

Even without her shoes she was tall enough to reach his mouth by just tilting her head. Her lips hovered just inches from his as her hand traveled down to his belt buckle and stayed there.

He’d been in a similar position with a woman before and very recently too. Ryan remembered well how that had worked out with hooker Jackie and her passed out roommate at the trailer park.

Very aware of her hand resting too near to his cock for any polite girl, Ryan felt her stray another inch closer, brushing the tip of him through the denim, ratcheting his need another notch higher.

Ryan let out a long, slow breath. “What are you up to, girl?”

“Nothing.” She was so close to him, he felt her breath tickle his lips as she spoke.

Naked in broad daylight and pressed up against a man she’d just met was definitely something.

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Excerpt from Texas Two-Step–Let’s Dance!

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

Texas Two-Step

Contemporary, Westerns/Cowboys

Download at ARe ONLY.

Not available from Amazon, BN, Borders or any other eRetailer.

It takes two to tango, but three to do the two-step with these Texas cowboys…

Londoner Maryann Morrissy finds the companionship she’s missing by making friends on the Internet with fellow rodeo fans in the States. Her fiancé Robert doesn’t understand her new obsession. His mocking is just one more thing in a long list that convinces Maryann he’s not the man for her. Perfect timing, because Maryann is flying to Texas where two rodeo cowboys are waiting to show her the ropes.

Annoyed he has to pick up his sister’s British online buddy from the airport, tie-down roper Wes Griffin drags his best friend Shooter with him. Misery loves company until Wes sees Maryann get off the plane. When her sexy accent makes his heart do the two-step, Wes begins to wish he’d kept Maryann all to himself because Shooter is just as intrigued.

After the nasty end to Maryann’s engagement, she’s ready to take both cowboys on, but is Wes willing to share?

EXCERPT (rated G)

“What do you think she looks like?” Shooter surveyed the new arrivals in the terminal, the torn piece of cardboard Wes had made into a sign resting in one hand and propped against his chest.

Wes still couldn’t believe all it had taken to convince his friend to hold that stupid sign was the promise of an extra beer out of the twelve-pack they’d be sharing. The one that Ellen hopefully had already put in the fridge to chill for him while they waited for Brit Chick to arrive.

Shooter’s question was one Wes had already asked himself the moment he’d been assigned this task so he had an image of Maryann Morrissy already firmly planted in his head. “I’m picturing one of those British nannies like you see on TV. You know the ones I mean?”

“No, not really. What kinda television you watching any way? Ain’t no British nannies on the hunting channel, that’s for sure.” Shooter frowned.

“Come on. You’ve seen them. The ones with their hair pulled back into a really tight bun. They wear glasses and they’ve got thick ankles and wear big, ugly shoes. They could be old, could be young, but you can’t tell. They could be skinny, or could be fat, but you can’t really judge that either because they wear dresses that look like they were made outta a burlap sack.”

“Hope you’re wrong, man. I think this British chick is going to be really hot, like the ones you see wearing those corset things in movies about Henry the Eighth. You know those low-cut tops where all the goods are pushed up and out.” Shooter used his free hand to mime pushing up his imaginary boobs.

Wes shook his head. “You’re crazy. Even if corsets were still in style, I seriously doubt she’d be wearing one on the flight.”

His friend shrugged. “A man can dream, can’t he?”

“Yeah, keep dreaming there, buddy, because I’m pretty sure this is her flight and I don’t see any of Henry the Eighth’s wenches in corsets coming through that door.” What Wes did see was a slew of businessmen in suits looking like they were late for something somewhere, a mother with too many kids to handle alone, and a middle-aged women who smiled in his general direction to reveal crooked, yellowed teeth. Was this Brit Chick Maryann? “No corset there, thank God.”

“No corset, but she’s hot enough, she don’t really need one.”

Wes frowned at Shooter. “Hot? Her? What the hell are you talking about?”

Then he followed his friend’s gaze and saw what Shooter had seen. Coming through the other door, also smiling in their direction was a woman about their own age and looking like nothing he’d imagined Brit Chick would look like.

“Hello. I’m Maryann.” The lilt in her sweet voice shot straight through Wes, right down to his groin. Down below, Little Wes woke up to take notice and was apparently enjoying Maryann’s British accent from inside Wes’s jeans.

Shooter’s face lit up with a wide, goofy grin. “Hey, Maryann. I’m Shooter. Welcome to America.”

eBook Exclusively from ARe

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It’s Time to Ride! Almost…

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

RideAre you a rodeo fan excited for the NFR Event in Las Vegas next week? Or a PBR fan in withdrawal during the off season?

Are you a reader chomping at the bit for the December 28th release of my RIDE (Studs in Spurs, Book 3)?

Then you might want to hop over to Eliza Gayle’s Naughty November Blog Event where I just posted a never before seen excerpt from my Vegas-set eBook RIDE, the next installment in my contemporary bull rider series. Chase lovers rejoice!

November News…

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

Multi-author Romance Panel, Reading & Signing

November 13, 1 PM

North Haven, CT Barnes & Noble

I’ll be joined by a few of my fav author peeps and will be reading from UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1).

Guest Blog, November 28th

Join me at Eliza Gayle’s Blog for some excerpts sure to warm up the chilly nights during her Naughty November event. Shhh, don’t tell, but I am

planning on revealing a sneak peak into Chase’s book RIDE (Studs in Spurs, Book 3) releasing December 28th. You won’t want to miss this exclusive premiere! And stop by all month long for excerpts from her author friends at elizagayle.net/blog

In other news, November is National Novel Writing Month and I will be working on my current Work in Progress named, for now until I change my mind yet again, Hooked (Studs in Spurs, Book 4). Thank you to one of my Twitter PBR friends for that title suggestion.

Finally, on the home front, Thanksgiving weekend brings the start of the holidays for me as my annual harp gig begins again with weekly performances Saturdays and Sundays from Thanksgiving through Christmas. I started practicing Christmas Carols yesterday and will have to break out my stash of ball gowns for one more season of fun and frolic along the Hudson River in scenic Tarrytown at the lovely gothic Victorian Gould family mansion, Lyndhurst. Maybe I’ll see some of you there!

Scenes From the Cutting Room Floor

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

The Rookie Studs in Spurs Deleted Scene

I finally got around to formatting and uploading the deleted scene I cut out of BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2).

This is the scene where Mustang, freshly hurt and mourning the possible loss of his bull riding career, decides to take rookie bull rider Chase under his wing for a wild night with a woman they picked up at a local bar.

It’s short, only 2500 words. This is NOT a romance, it’s not a complete story, it is just what it says, a single scene that shows you what happened behind closed doors to the characters in BUCKED. If you want romance, if you want an HEA, if you want to learn more about the characters, read UNRIDDEN, or BUCKED, or the upcoming RIDE.

Making the pdf of this scene available is my gift to my loyal readers. ONLY download it if you are an adult of over 18 years old, not offended by sexual situations written in frank language, already love the Studs in Spurs cowboys, or want to sample a small taste of what the series is like. IF you don’t meet the above criteria and download and read this anyway, don’t complain to me. You’ve been warned.

If you enjoy this look into my cowboys’ world, try 8 Second Ride, a 3000 word scene starring Chase, also free, also containing sexual situations, also not a romance and not a complete story.

If you are interested in knowing why my post is full of all these conditions and warnings, read my recent post on my Confessions of a Romance Writer at the Eat Something Sexy blogs.

Excerpt from Trey (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 1) Today’s New Release

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson


They can’t deny the heat—it’s the only thing keeping them alive.

A distracted soldier is a dead solder. That’s special operative Trey Williams’ motto. The last thing he needs in his life is a girlfriend. Problem is, the woman who’s been recruited to pose as his wife on a special assignment is proving to be exactly the kind of distraction he can’t afford.

Years ago, Carly McAfee turned her back not only on her military career, but the men who come with it. So why did she say yes to a mission that puts her in intimate contact with Trey, under 24/7 surveillance by both bad guys and good? One slip, and they’re both dead. It’s not long, though, before her body betrays her, followed closely by her heart.

With a terrorist arms deal going down and missing teammate’s life on the line, Carly and Trey must throw caution to the wind in the scorching-hot performance of their lives—and try not to lose their hearts and minds in the process.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

Warning: Contains bad men with big guns and video cameras, and an unmarried couple who need to get naked and get busy acting very married to save both their country and their lives.

An excerpt from

Trey

Copyright © 2010 Cat Johnson

All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Publication

“What the hell, Trey? Why did you tell the commander she’d be perfect?”

He shook his head at Jack’s question. “I don’t know. He caught me off-guard. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Lie?”

“Yes. Taking her undercover to meet the target. Are you trying to get her killed?”

Trey closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No, of course not. I have every intention of bringing us both home alive. And Jimmy too, if it comes to that.”

Jack shook his head. “You better.”

Blowing out a breath, Trey realized it was not going to be fun being trapped in a room to wait with Jack.

Trey was correct. They spent the next fifteen minutes in awkward silence until the rest of the team finally returned. He didn’t know how they’d done it, but they walked in with Carly in less than twenty minutes and boy oh boy, she didn’t seem happy about it.

She entered the meeting room looking pissed off and confused. When she saw him and Jack, she stopped dead, hands on her hips. “Maybe you two will tell me what the hell is going on since these guys wouldn’t say a thing when they dragged me out of my apartment at the crack of frigging dawn.”

Trey had seen the crack of dawn on many occasions and O-eight-forty did not qualify. She must have been out of the military for a long time. But running a bar made her schedule pretty much the opposite of his. He could appreciate her opinion of being yanked out of bed after his own long night babysitting a drunk Jack.

Speaking of Jack… He had jumped to his feet the moment Carly entered the room, but before he even had a chance to hey, darlin’ her, the commander was at the door of his office. “Williams. Get in here and bring the girl with you. We have exactly fifty minutes before the plane is scheduled to leave.”

The commander strode to his desk. He sat and addressed Carly, “Shut the door behind you.”

Trey had to give Carly credit. Even though she looked pissed as hell, she silently followed him into the office and closed the door. Then she stood there with her arms crossed, waiting.

He watched the commander appraise her from head to toe. “Not bad.”

At that comment, Carly’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. She opened her mouth to speak and Trey jumped in before she could.

“Sir, Ms. McAfee hasn’t been apprised of the situation as yet and is a bit confused.”

She didn’t look any happier he had spoken for her, but at least he stopped her from laying into the commander.

“Of course. Ms. McAfee, we’re requesting your help in a matter of national security. If you decide to help us, you’ll be told as little as possible, your life will be in danger and you can never tell anyone about what you’ve done, ever. In addition, you’ll have to make your decision within the next fifteen minutes and leave for your assignment immediately.”

She surprised Trey by laughing. “Well, since you make it sound so tempting and all…” She rolled her eyes and looked at Trey. Then she questioned him directly. “Am I necessary for the success of whatever this ‘assignment’ is?”

Trey considered his answer carefully. “Your presence will increase the chances of the success of this assignment. Yes.”

“Increase it by how much? From like ninety percent without me to one hundred percent with me?”

Trey glanced at the commander who answered for him. “More like sixty percent without you and seventy-five percent with you.”

They both watched her carefully as she took a deep breath. Trey knew, or at least hoped, the commander was giving her the worse-case scenario to make sure she was aware of what she was getting herself into and exactly how dangerous it would be because those odds pretty much sucked.

“Why me, specifically?” She directed her question at the commander.

“Honestly? Mostly because you look like her and we don’t have time to find anyone else.” The commander slid a print copy of the photo of the woman across his desk.

Carly walked closer, picked it up and studied it. After a moment she glanced up at Trey then back to the commander. “All right.”

The commander raised a brow. “That’s it? No more questions?”

Her short laugh sounded bitter. “Would you answer them if I asked?”

The commander smiled. “Probably not.”

“Then it would be a waste of time, now wouldn’t it?”

The commander nodded. “You’ll do well I think, McAfee. Williams will brief you on the flight over, but here’s a quick overview. You’re playing a newlywed American wife. Williams is your husband and as his wife you are devoted, loving and obedient and will do whatever he says.”

Carly screwed up her face, mumbling, “Good thing I took acting in college.”

The commander pretended he didn’t hear her, but continued a bit more loudly. “More importantly, he’s your field leader on this assignment and as such you’ll do whatever he commands, no questions asked.

This is imperative. Hesitation could cost lives. He’ll be in constant contact with myself and any others who may be working with us. You have to trust him implicitly and without discussion, because you must assume every minute, everywhere, you will be monitored by those who can do you harm. I mean not even a whisper, McAfee. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Trey noted she was already standing a little straighter and calling the commander “sir”. Military training was just like riding a bike. You never really forgot it.

“Good. You’re quick and you’re tough, McAfee. I can see that. You must be to deal with these guys drunk every night. I wouldn’t be sending you on this assignment if I didn’t think you would succeed. One last thing—” the commander turned to Trey, “—Williams, go kiss your new bride.”

It was a test. Trey knew that. A test both for himself and for Carly. Keeping his role in mind, he became the newlywed husband who was supplying arms to terrorist bastards.

Without hesitation, Trey strode to where she stood. More petite up close than she appeared when she was wielding her larger-than-life attitude while slinging beer behind her bar, in reality she came up only to about his chest.

He tangled one hand in her hair so she couldn’t pull her head away, not that she tried. He slipped the other beneath the hem of the shirt where it just met the jeans riding low below her waist. Her skin felt warm and smooth to the touch. He slid his hand higher and let his thumb rest just below the lush curve of her breast.

Trey had to duck his head down to reach her. She stared up at him, her eyes liquid pools of green clearly showing her surprise as he bent and captured her mouth.

Kissing her hard and deep, he parted her lips and drove his tongue between them before he or she had too much time to think about it. In this particular situation thinking would be bad.

She didn’t squirm or pull away. In fact, she actually tilted her head and allowed him greater access to the warm, wet recesses of her mouth. As his tongue met and stroked hers, he felt a stirring in his pants.

There was no way to kiss a woman this attractive this deeply and not have it affect him. He was a healthy male after all, but he didn’t need a raging hard-on in front of both Carly and the commander.

When he thought how he and Carly would be sharing a bed as they portrayed a married couple for the duration of this mission his mind went to bad places, and his erection followed. Trey quickly broke the kiss.

Trying to ignore both his pounding heart and his rapidly expanding lower appendage, he dropped his hands from her too-tempting body and turned to the commander. “Sir?”

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NEWS- MBaM is Moving AND Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor

Posted on by Author Cat Johnson

MARCH 22nd UPDATE-

MY BOOKSTORE AND MORE is back in action. One unforeseen result of the site migration is the link for my author page has changed but the book detail page links seem to be forwarding to the new site. So here is the new link for my MBaM page…

MY BOOKSTORE AND MORE

My Bookstore and More.com, one of the many eretailers that carry my eBooks, is moving to a new and improved site. What does that mean to you? Well, like all moves, it will take time and be a bit of a pain for all those involved, but it will be worth it in the end. So while the servers are migrated and the info checked, MBaM will be down, probably until mid next week. But never fear! If you have a hankering for one of my cowboys or a craving for a little Greek (Greek Gods, that is) head on over to one of the many other eRetailers that carry my eBooks including but not limited to…

All Romance eBooks
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Fictionwise
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On another note, for those of you who read BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) and voyeurs that we all are always wanted to know what happens between Mustang, Chase and Marla after they leave the bar and head for Mustang’s trailer, the unpublished, deleted scene was featured as the SIZZLE  in ARe’s Wildfire newsletter. Check it out HERE.