Enjoy the following excerpt for Beneath the Skin:

She stood between his thighs as she’d been tweezing the glass out of a wound on his shoulder. He made her dizzy. Which was also part of the adrenaline, she knew. But it was him.

His pheromones changed. Surged and then sort of blanketed her in warm, sexy hotness. This was… Well, she’d never had this before. Her arm throbbed, her leg throbbed, and she really should sit down and rest. But she was rooted to the spot as one of his hands slid up the back of her thigh and came to rest, cupping her ass.

The heat of him blasted against her chest as his scent rose to her nose. His dreads brushed against her bare arm. His cat was just barely leashed, but he vibrated with all that self-control.

He tipped his head back and her breath caught.

She shouldn’t be doing any of this. But she dipped her head just that small amount to meet his mouth and that was it.

He surged to his feet, his free hand joining the other, cupping her ass to haul her closer. Not that she minded. He was hard against her. A mass of man and muscle that nearly sent her to her knees.

Which, all things being equal, wasn’t a bad next step.

His taste slid through her. Her cat approved of his, approved of this man with his hands on her ass, his tongue in her mouth, teeth grazing her lip until she gasped and he growled.

He opened his eyes and met her gaze, and it shocked her into total stillness. But when she freed herself, she nipped his bottom lip like she’d wanted to earlier.

He’d been nearly back under control until she grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged as her fingers dug into the muscles of his shoulder, hanging on and driving him right back to the edge of sanity.

He exhaled and tried to let go of her ass but found it impossible. His cat wasn’t having any of it.

She moaned, her fingers relaxing, no longer digging into his shoulders, but didn’t make a single move to disentangle herself from him. His cat eased back a little, but he kept that luscious ass in his palms.

“Where you goin’?”

She swallowed with some effort. “Where do you want me to go?”

He groaned, tugging her close enough to grind his cock against her. “What do you think?”

“I want you to say it.”

He smiled, mainly because she had a spine of steel and he liked that about her. But also because she knew what she wanted and she demanded it.

“I want you to go into my bedroom so I can get you naked.”

“Was that so hard?”

“It is, yes. I hope that penchant for demanding your due extends to fucking.”

It was her turn to smile. “Fuck me and find out.”

He bent his knees and picked her up, adjusting his hold on her butt. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her into his bedroom and put her down carefully on his bed.

“I’m not fragile.”

He snorted. “You got shot today. If I break you, how can I fuck you?”

She whipped her shirt up and over her head, tossing it across the room. Her bra followed, and she shimmied from her shoes, socks and jeans. “That’s true. You’re not naked.”

He remedied that while he watched her get totally naked. Not bothering to hide his hum of satisfaction as she slid the panties from her legs and lay back, her gaze roaming over his body.

“You’re something else.” He got on the bed, kissing the pink parts on her chest and shoulder, and she shivered.

“I was about to say the same.”

Her fingertips traced over the muscles of his back as he kissed over her collarbone and watched her nipples stand at attention.

“The piercings are so hot I can’t quite stand it.”

He stretched to take her mouth again and she pressed her body to his.

Skin to skin, she gasped at how good it felt, and he swallowed the sound. He smelled good and felt even better. He kissed her nearly senseless. The scratch of his facial hair only made it better.

She pushed him back and got to her knees to look down at him. He was…holy shit he was amazing.

“You shouldn’t put your weight on that thigh.”

Smiling, she threw one leg over his body and straddled him, resting her weight on his thighs.

“I like this view.” His gaze moved from her face down, down and straight to the heart of her.

“What a coincidence.” She flicked her index fingers over the piercings in each nipple. He hissed and writhed a little so she dipped her head to lick over first the left, then the right. He seemed to enjoy that so she filed it away for later. “Love the tats.” His chest was broad and hard with muscle. Her hands slid over warm, taut skin as his gaze never left her. It was…disconcerting and yet really exciting to have him watch her the way he did.

He was a predator after all. But so was she!

But not with him. With him she was his prey. This made her shiver a little.

“Are you cold?”

“No. Just…delighted.”

A flash of his smile in the dark.

She tugged on one of the ropes of his hair. “I like this too.”

They were to his mid biceps, and they added to the overall badass vibe. Tattoos, muscles, dreadlocks and enough smolder to send a girl’s underpants up in flames.

She kissed down his neck, pausing to breathe him in at the place where it met his shoulder. Which in retrospect had been stupid because his scent bounded into her system, sending it into overload. Her cat surfaced, pressing against the human skin it wore, and his responded.

She can’t shift, but she can shake their world.

Diamond Dust

© 2013 Vivian Arend

Takhini Wolves, Book 3

Caroline Bradley is having one hell of a week. Her wolf lover has sniffed out his mate, making her an instant free agent. Not only that, Takhini territory has been overrun with aggressive bear-shifters electing a clan leader, and the wolf pack is feeling the effects—pushing her diplomatic skills to the limit.

Tyler Harrison is a grizzly on a mission. If he’s going to win the majority of the bears’ votes, he needs one final thing: a female companion. The only woman in town with influence over wolves, humans, and more bears than he’d like to admit, is Caroline.

Despite the sexual pull between them, though, Tyler’s not seeking a permanent relationship. And Caroline isn’t looking to be anyone else’s political pawn. But she should have remembered that when shifters are involved, changes happen in the blink of an eye.

Warning: Billionaire bear hero plus kick-ass human heroine equals a sexually volatile power struggle. Get ready for what might be the naughtiest game of tag that’s ever been played in the great outdoors.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Diamond Dust:

The partially open French doors caught his eye. He dropped his tie, grabbed up an apple from the massive fruit bowl decorating the kitchen counter and ate it as he wandered to the balcony railing. An incredible view greeted him, with the mountains rising behind the city streets. The lack of skyscrapers added to the beauty, and he breathed deep to fill his lungs with fresh air.

A faint scent of human made him turn, but there was no one there. Only the door he’d left open behind him, and at the far side of the deck an open lounging area with a hot tub, the lid strangely askew.

A hand draped over the far edge, just visible from his new position.

Hell.

Tyler raced forward, reached into the water and scooped up the limp body of a blonde woman. Her head had been resting on a drink holder, the only thing that had kept her from becoming completely submerged.

“Wake up, little mermaid.” Tyler cradled her against him. He nudged the door open and brought her inside, dripping wet, examining her face for a reaction. She was breathing, but shallowly. He lowered her onto the couch then pulled a handy throw blanket over her shivering torso. “Can you hear me?”