I pause with my hand on the door of Heartthrob Haven, looking over my shoulder. Relaxing a bit when I see my three hostages still with me, I give them a smile designed to be reassuring. "This Heroes Blog Hop will be fun," I promise.
The closest man to me, Colton De Marco, sighs. I see the plea his hazel eyes. "Why do I have to come here, again? I mean, Jonah's at baseball camp this week, Eden. That gives me time alone with Lila. You know we have to beg, borrow, and steal time alone because of my nephew."
Behind him, his older brother Daniel chokes out a laugh. "Beg, borrow and steal? Gimme a break, C. If I had a dollar for every time that kid's almost walked in on me and Cynda, I could bribe Eden to let me out early. I think y'all kick him out of the house every time you guys feel like—" Daniel glances over his shoulder at the third man, a man these brothers don't know. "Um…gettin' frisky."
The man in the rear rolls his brown eyes, rubbing his hand over close-cropped brown hair. "I'm a Marine. You can say 'fuck' in front of me." Impatiently, he shuffles his feet, encased in tan suede boots. "Can we get this show on the road, Eden? I left Tori back in D.C. and you know a terrorist has it in for her family."
I open the door and they file past me, looking around curiously. Gesturing toward the three folding director's chairs in the center of the room, I add helpfully, "Find the one with your name on the back and get comfortable. Some readers will be dropping in and they might ask you guys some questions." Frowning at Tanner, I add, "I'm not so sure I want to hear you use the F-word to our guests."
He straightens the shirt collar of his desert fatigues and saunters past. "I guess you should've made me a Boy Scout then, Miss Writer Chick." But he winks.
He takes the center chair. I wonder at his motive for separating the De Marco brothers, but keep quiet. Colton takes the seat to Tanner's left and Tanner turns in his seat to give Colton's jeans and white t-shirt a hard look. I can see his gaze pause at Colton's hands, the nicks and cuts identifying him as a working guy. "Must get pretty cold where you're from, huh?"
Daniel cautiously lowers his large frame into the flimsy folding contraption, answering for his brother. "No, I wouldn't say it gets that cold in South Carolina."
Tanner turns to glance at Dan. "Then why the fuck's his hair so long?"
Dan flashes a confident grin, not intimidated in the least by Tanner. He reads the name tape across the chest of the other man's fatigues. "Because, Caldwell, he likes it that way." His shoulders begin to shake and he soon splutters with laughter."Hold your ass until our last book comes out, soldier boy. I hear Lila's gonna give Colton a flyer from Locks of Love. He'll shave his head if that's what his woman wants." Stretching his legs, he adds, "I can't wait to hear the shit our middle brother Eric gives him for that, either."
Colton leans forward suddenly, staring past Tanner at Daniel, then cuts his eyes toward me. "Is that true, Eden? Does Lila want me to cut my hair?"
Dan's still laughing. "You'll do it. Don't try to pretend you won't."
"So," I asked, pointing to Daniel, "are you saying there's something you wouldn't do for Cynda?"
Tanner flashes me a grin when Dan gapes at me. The oldest De Marco brother's laughter trails off and he fidgets with the buttons on his red button-down shirt. I smirk inwardly. Cynda's been shopping.
I'm trying hard not to smile outright when I offer, "Name one thing you wouldn't do for the woman I gave you and I'll let you leave the Heroes Hop early." They look at each other silently, then each one sneaks a wary glance at me, trying to decide whether I'm bluffing.
While they're thinking, allow me to tell you about the Heroes Blog Hop. each author will have her--or his--own contest and prizes, and there are over a hundred authors participating in this hop.
And there's more.
There are 3 Grand Prize giveaways for the Blog Hop itself:
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (or $199.00 if you already have one)
2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!
(My contest information is at the end of my conversation with my three heroes.)
"You guys do realize she can take them away with one sentence?" Tanner mutters, narrowing his gaze at me. "And she'll damn sure tell them what we say."
Ah, that's right, think like a Marine, Tanner. You're always on the lookout for trouble, aren't you? Expecting the worst? Thinking in terms of loss, and terrorists, and the sudden change in fortunes war can bring? I can't tell him what's in store for him and the Navy psychiatrist. Not yet. "You don't have a release date, Tanner," I point out. "When a Soldier Cries has only a blurb and cover art."
Colton is staring at me. "Please don't take Lila, Eden. You know how long I waited for her. Please, let me keep her. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. You know that."
I do know, Colton. I know you admired Lila from afar for a decade. Don't let the big, bad Marine get in your head. He's good at that. "So, if she asks you to get a haircut?"
"What time does the barber shop open?" His gaze is steady.
"Cynda and I have a release date," Daniel interrupts. "September 8th." Shaking his head, he smiles. "I gotta admit, it threw me at first that you sent a hot little black chick to rock my world."
"Well, at your age, Daniel, I had to send someone--"
"Wildly Inappropriate?" he supplies.
With a shrug, I point out, "Something had to take the heat off Lila. The whole town was whispering behind her back."
"About what?" Tanner demands. "Is Lila some kind of traitor?"
"People think so." Colton sounds miserable. "See, her husband died, and she started seeing me before her widow's year was up." He shifts in his seat. "They don't stop to count the three years Pete was paralyzed from the neck down, either. Oh, no, they count from the day the poor man died."
Tanner stares at him in amazement, as if trying to decide whether or not Colton's serious. "Fuck that," the Marine finally growls. "Tomorrow, you or she could be the one dying. Dude, if you love her and she loves you, fuck everybody else." Turning to stare at Daniel, he adds, "I guess they're giving you hell down there in South Carolina about your woman being black?" He leans back against the wide canvas strap behind him, crossing one boot over the other. "I've seen plenty of men bleed. Black ones, white ones, brown ones. We all bleed the same shade of red."
Daniel is looking at me. "She won't take them away, C. Not after the way she made us turn ourselves inside out to earn 'em. Eden won't do that."
"What have you done for your lady lately?" I ask, smothering a yawn.
"I let her be exactly who she is." Colton is the first to speak. "You know Lila's never had that before, Eden."
Nodding slightly, I look past Tanner to stare pointedly at Daniel.
He runs a hand through his dark waves, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Okay, I know I can be hard to live with. Demanding."
I raise my brows and reach for my purse, digging out a small pad and a pen. "You think?" I don't smile, although I want to, at the sight of such a big man squirming.
"Yes, dammit. I know I like things done my way, but Eden, Cynda…she's…she's that piece of me that makes me make sense. She's the one thing in my life that makes me feel...not wrong. She's the real color in my world, so whatever you're thinking, you need to stop thinking it, right now." His large hands clutch the flimsy wooden arms on his seat. I see his knuckles are white. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. She likes giving me the control. I swear to God, she does. Just ask her."
Silently, I look at Tanner. He's staring at me, his head lowered, his elbows propped on his knees. "Tori's been through enough, Eden. First she lost her mother and little brother on 9/11, and then you know what her bastard of an ex did to her."
I nod but don't speak.
"So, if you come for Tori," his eyes bore into mine, "you better bring some fucking help. You're gonna need it."
Thank you for dropping in. I'm giving away two free copies of Colton and Lila's story, Soft Sounds of Pleasure for every twenty entries. In order to qualify for the drawing I'll hold at the end of the Hop, just leave a comment with a valid e-mail address.
But!
If you ask one of these guys a question, I'll enter your name twice in each drawing. Every entrant may win only once. I use the Draw Straws application to select the winners and they will be posted within 24 hours of the end of the hop, by midnite (EDT) August 2nd. This is an international contest; anyone worldwide may win. Prize is in PDF e-book format, readable on any PC or e-reader.
More information about the De Marco brother's series, published by Silver Publishing.
More information about When a Soldier Cries, published by Rebel Ink Press.
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WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: I had 43 people to comment and leave an email address, so thats a total of four copies of Soft Sounds of Pleasure I'll give away, PLUS, those who asked one or more of my heroes a question will be entered in their own separate second-chance drawing, if they don't win in Round 1.
Results of Drawing 1: Draw Straws selected the following four winners: Tamsyn, Jessica, rubyswan, and Donna Cummings (link to drawing results)
Second-Chance Drawing Results-- for those who asked my heroes a question. Since there were seventeen of you, and that's awfully close to twenty, I chose to have Draw Straws select two winners, and those were: Yvette and The Brunette Librarian (link to drawing results)
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