Sam's Sunday Snippet

Book 2 in Declan's Hoale Construction Mystery Series Releases Soon!

And here's a little taste...

A 200 year old manor house, a disputed suicide, and a cache of stolen jewelry. Somebody’s willing to kill to keep Adam from figuring it all out!

Mink climbed out of the little car and stood, his handsome face alight with delighted disgust as it turned to take in his surroundings. “Good god, I’ve been picked up and plopped down right smack in the middle of Deliverance. I’ll bet the bugs are big enough to carry you away out here. Did you see those attack birds? They look prehistoric. What are those things called…pterodactyls? They’re huge! Doesn’t anybody have a rifle? You should kill those mothers before they hurt somebody. I’ll do it if you don’t have the stomach.” He turned a look back toward the pond, where said prehistoric monsters appeared to be tending to their extremely ruffled feathers and enjoying a ray of sun at the edge of the water. “It would be my pleasure.”

“You’re not killing Mike and Sue.” Adam told him in a bemused voice. 

Beside Adam, Maddy appeared to be choking. 

Adam leaned against his truck and covered his mouth with one hand. 

Walter sauntered up from a visit to the side yard and screeched to a stop beside Adam, his nails scratching ruts in the sun-softened asphalt. The big dog whined. Cocked his head. And then started barking, his thick fringe of a tail drooping between his back legs. 

Mink frowned. “What’s wrong with Walter?”

Maddy’s choking worsened, to the point where Adam thought he might have to smack her on the back, if he didn’t choke to death himself first. “What exactly are you wearing Mink?”

Mink’s eyes widened and he looked down, as if surprised he was wearing anything at all. “Oh, these, yeah, I figured it would be pretty wild out here so I dressed for it.”

Maddy’s choking finally emerged in a laugh. “This isn’t a flood zone.”

Mink frowned, obviously not catching her meaning.

Adam jabbed his partner with an elbow. “What she means, Mink, old buddy, is that you’re wearing fishing waders. They’re meant for wading into creeks, not walking around country manors.”

Mink glared at them. “I’m not stupid…”

Maddy doubled over in an apparent fit of coughing. 

Walter inched closer, a low growl throbbing in his throat.

“I know they’re fishing waders. But they’re also impervious to bugs, snakes, and raccoon teeth. Ted’s Sports was selling them at fifty percent off. I couldn’t resist.”

“Next time resist!” Maddy managed in a strangled voice before snorting in a less than ladylike way. 

Standing just about as far away as he could and still reach Mink, Walter poked his nose way out and sniffed the thick green rubber of the realtor’s footwear. 

“You think you’re gonna be attacked by a raccoon? In broad daylight?” Adam gave in and laughed with Maddy. “You’re a kook.”

Mink rolled his eyes. “Only the rabid ones. They wander around during the day until some kind soul puts them out of their misery. So…we’re back to that gun.”

Walter’s tail finally started wagging and he stepped closer, sniffing all up and down Mink’s legs.

“You’re very bloodthirsty today, Mink.” Maddy said, drying her eyes. 

Mink shrugged. “I’m a little out of my comfort zone in the country. You might have noticed.” Mink’s natural good humor asserted itself and He grinned.

Walter lifted his leg on one of the tall, rubber trees and peed. 

Mink was oblivious. 

“I suppose the dumb-fuck hat is part of your anti-rodent, anti-reptile protection too?” Adam threw Maddy a grin as she snorted out another laugh.

Mink wore a dark blue, large billed hat that tied beneath his chin. It looked like something a woman might wear on a boat at sea…if she didn’t care that she looked like an idiot. 

“Blood sucking ticks,” Mink clarified with a nod.

Adam knew he shouldn’t do it but he couldn’t resist. “There’s nothing there to protect you from coyotes.”

Mink’s gray-blue eyes widened and he grew pale under the dumb-fuck hat. “Coyotes?”

“Stop it, Adam.” Maddy strode forward and took Mink’s arm. “He’s just teasing you. There aren’t any coyotes around here.” She threw Adam a warning look. “I’m really glad you’re here, though. We just found out there’s an old slave cabin somewhere on the property. Adam and I are going to go try and find it.”

Mink’s face flared into horror. “Out there!” He threw an arm covered in long denim sleeves vaguely in the direction of the woods. “You want me to go into the wild and wooly wilderness to look for the rotted remains of a cabin?”

Adam wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “That’s exactly what we want you to do. Besides, look at you. Nothing could possibly get to you through all those clothes and…things.”

“But aren’t you going to show me the house first?” Mink asked in a slightly hysterical tone. 

Maddy shook her head. “You can’t go into the house just yet. Not until your rubber dries.”

“My rubber…what the hell are you talking about, Mads?”

Adam and Maddy just laughed.

 Book info and more...

Sam's Snippet Sunday

Soul Warrior - Sexy Mythological Fantasy

"Sam Cheever has written a romantic story of two very different beings that fall in love against all odds. The characters are delightful and well crafted, with many emotional layers for each. This is also a story with intrigue and betrayal, and standing up for what you believe is right. ~Whipped Cream Reviews

~~*~~

She stepped forward, inclining her head. She wore a gentle smile on her face and appeared calm, expectant. She was dressed entirely in black, skin-skimming leather. The jeweled hilt of a sword rose over one shoulder. Her feet were encased in knee high, leather boots with metal reinforcements over the shins. Ornate, stamped metal was strapped around her thighs and buckled across her chest. Her forearms were encased in matching metal guards. 

She held a small shield in one hand.She looked like a warrior, ready for battle. 

Rael was in awe. She was an incredible sight. A loin-stirring concoction that made his mouth water. Words tumbled through his mind but none would drop down into his mouth to be forced into a coherent sentence.

Finally he opened his mouth and said the first thing that would emerge. “You might be slightly overdressed. I’m unarmed and way too tired to be dangerous.” He finished the statement with a smile. 

Bellona shook her head and lifted her hands. “I come before you as the gods have made me. I am a warrior, sent upon a mission from the gods. I do not choose my mission. I dare not question it.”

Rael frowned. “So that’s how you justify murder to yourself?”

She cocked her head, her expression calm. “Is that how you see me in your mind. As a murderer of humans.”

Rael frowned. No. That wasn’t how he saw her at all. “It doesn’t matter how I see you. It only matters what you’ve done.”

She inclined her head. “Yes. You are right. So tell me, fallen angel, Rael. What is it that you have done? What brings you such self-loathing and remorse?”

He turned away and reached for his jeans. Dropping his towel he stepped into them quickly, feeling the heat of her gaze on his backside. “That’s none of your business.”

“Ah, but it is. You see, you sit in judgment of me, without knowing any of the facts. I prefer to hold my judgment of you until I’ve heard all the facts.”

Rael zipped his jeans and turned to her. “Angels only meet my fate for one of two reasons.”

She cocked her head. Was she closer? Had she moved? “What are those reasons?”

“The first one is rebellion against the angelic choir…”

“And the second?” Yes, she was definitely closer now. Her beautiful gaze was intense, searching, locked onto his face. 

Rael sighed and walked to the room’s only window to stare out into the night. “Causing the death of an innocent.”

The soft warmth of her breath touched the back of his neck. Rael stiffened but didn’t turn. When she spoke again, her sweet breath tickled his ear. “You caused the death of an innocent, Rael? Just as you assume I have?”

Shame filled him. Self-loathing burned in his gut. He closed his eyes as velvet tipped fingers touched his waist, slipping lightly, reverently, up his sides. “Yes.” 

“Then we are devils of the same type, are we not?”

BUY the book!

Sam's Snippet Sunday

This week's snippet is from my comedic paranormal short, Purple Prose. It's actually a little longer than a snippet, I hope you don't mind. This is one of my favorite scenes! Zahn is providing "inspiration" to Lindsey for a sex scene. #:0)

 ~~*~~

Fallen Angels gives Purple Prose 5 Angels! "I grinned my way through Purple Prose - it truly is a laugh-a-minute read. Hilarious situations, witty dialogue, a parrot that adds his own commentary, and two very likeable lead characters make this a book to remember."

~~*~~

He reached down and covered one of my hands with his own and a strange warmth spread through me, starting from my hand and moving to strategic points throughout my body. I gasped as the warmth found my most special place and ignited it. Zahn lowered his head so that his lips were close to my ear. Very close. Close enough for his tongue to sweep out and slide around the rim and then pull the lobe into his hot mouth…

I shivered.

“Write,” he whispered huskily into my ear.

And I did. My fingers flew over the keyboard, creating heat between my characters that infused me right along with them. As Frank pulled Carol into his hard embrace, I felt Zahn pressing into my back, all male hardness, heat, and sexual musk. As Frank’s lips found Carol’s, Zahn’s soft, sensual mouth trailed up the back of my neck and over to the sensitive spot just behind my ear.

I gasped and my head dropped forward but somehow my fingers never left the keyboard. Frank and Carol’s heated moment never left my mind. My fingers flew, heat built between Frank and Carol, fire built between me and my uber-sexy muse.

Frank slid the straps of Carol’s gauzy camisole off her shoulders, following the silky stroke of fabric with his lips. Zahn’s hands slid slowly up my arms and his nimble fingers found the tiny buttons on the front of my blouse. He released them, one by one, deliberately, until the blouse fell open, exposing the lacy bra I was wearing underneath.

My fingers continued to fly on the keyboard, making Frank nibble his way up Carol’s throat. I groaned as Zahn leaned over me and forged a moist, heated trail across my back and shoulders. Carol dropped her head back and cried out as Frank’s hot mouth closed over a silk covered nipple, I bit my lip as Zahn’s big, warm hands pulled first one breast, and then the other free of the suddenly confining lace.

Carol grabbed Frank’s head and held him to her painfully sensitive nipple, her body vibrating with building need. I lay my head against Zahn’s shoulder and shivered as he caressed my stomach and breasts in warm, silken strokes that brought my legs apart under my keyboard and made me lift out of the chair under the growing burn of need.

My bra disappeared along with Carol’s. My nipples hardened and pulsed for Zahn’s hot mouth, just as Carol moaned under Frank’s tender ministrations. I whimpered with need and Zahn responded, turning me in my chair so that his hot mouth could encompass first one and then the other rigid peak.

I left Carol and Frank to their own devices and immersed myself in Zahn. His touch, his scent, the feel of his smooth, hard flesh against mine.

Zahn reached down and lifted me out of my chair, carrying me toward the bedroom. As we walked his lips devoured mine, pulling my breath from my lungs and heating it, creating our own special cocktail of air that intoxicated us with its power and sweetness.

BUY the book!

Sam's Snippet Sunday

The Devil You Know - Dancin' With the Devil Book 5

The air in the room changed and my hand throbbed. I slid it behind my back, suddenly remembering the Slayer’s mark.

The last thing I wanted Dialle to see at that moment was that mark. “He’s gone.” I told Dialle.

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or pissed that the Slayer had left me holding the proverbial bag. What I did know was that I still had a whole passel of problems to solve, and now I had a new one.

Sighing, I turned away and started walking toward the door.

“Astra!”

I shook my head without turning. “I have to save Darma and Myra, then I need to figure out what’s going on. A sudden memory had me stopping dead in my tracks. A red, scaly face with a broken jaw flashed before my eyes and I heard a gravelly voice say, “King Dialle sent me to kill you.” The audio reel in my head switched to another track, and I heard Euryice, the traitorous black dragon, say, “You will die soon, dragon fighter, and your lover will be the cause.”

I turned, my gaze locked onto Dialle’s hostile face. I wasn’t sure how to ask the question that needed asking so I just came right out with it. “Did you send assassins to kill me?”

I watched his impossibly handsome face very carefully for any signs that he was guilty of the charge. I saw a surprised widening of his black eyes before they narrowed in a frown, but the emotion that flashed across his features didn’t look like guilt to me. I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Of course not, Astra. Why would I want to do that?” He walked toward me with long, ground-eating strides, clasping my arms in a hard grip. “Why are you asking me that? Has someone tried to kill you?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Who hadn’t tried to kill me over the last few days?

I said as much to Dialle and his frown deepened to a scowl. After a few beats his expression cleared and I thought I read understanding of some kind there. “You must come with me. I can protect you until we figure out what’s going on.”

I started to shake my head but didn’t quite manage it. I soon found myself locked in space and time, unable to move, my ears ringing with complete silence, as Dialle shifted us away from the castle on the edge of Hell, to a new place in Hades that was probably eminently worse.

Just like that I found myself driving inexorably closer to the culmination of my Settling, surrounded by devils and devilry, deep in the heart of the purest evil in the universe. Skirting the scalding fires of Hell.

Yeah, my life just sucked.

And I was so totally screwed.

Sam's Snippet Sunday

This week's snippet is from Honeybun in a Loin Cloth. Available now!

~~*~~ 

Her waist length hair was thick and straight, the strands flashing blue-black from the light of the moon overhead.Her feet were bare and she carried what looked like a white towel draped over her hands. She stared at the sparkling water of the creek for a long moment, looking as if she were working up the courage to enter it. 

Godric had waded in it the day before and knew just exactly how cold it would be.

Despite, knowing full well that he should leave, he couldn’t look away. He felt like a voyeur watching her. But something about the woman called to him. 

Something that felt like magic. 

As if she felt the heat of his gaze, her head turned and she focused her gaze in his direction. Her features were partially obscured by darkness. But the moon highlighted high, sharp cheekbones and a long, slightly rounded nose. Her lips looked the color of a fine cabernet in the skimpy light, and her eyes, deep-set and wide, looked unfathomable and black. 

He stared back, feeling as if she could see him sitting there, despite the tree cover and dense undergrowth surrounding the spot where he sat. 

Did she smile?

Was that a nod?

Slowly, careful like the deer he’d been watching across the creek, she reached up to pull the caftan off her shoulders.

The cream colored fabric slid off wide shoulders and down, baring the rounded tops of her beautiful breasts.

Godric gasped, feeling a tightening in his groin as the fabric caught on a pair of burgundy colored nipples and then dropped downward, pooling below her tiny waist, on her slim hips. 

His need to watch the show she was providing warred with Godric’s upbringing and his thigh muscles tightened as he started to stand. 

To walk away. 

A soft cloud of creamy material hit the rocky ground at her feet and Godric stilled, groaning.

~~*~~

BUY Honeybun in a Loin Cloth now!

Sexy Snippet Sunday

Are you ready for today's Sexy Sunday Snippet? Today's little taste is from my soon to be released romantic suspense novella, Stealth Honeybun. Enjoy!

~~*~~

“Can I help you find something?” The soft, slightly breathless voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

Peyton looked around but didn’t see anybody.

Finally, a dark head lifted from behind a cart filled with vegetables. Soft brown eyes peered at him as a long fingered hand gripped the top of the cart. Peyton opened his mouth to tell her he was fine, but something about those eyes drew him in.

As he strolled closer, she stood up and Peyton caught his breath.

She was incredible.

An unruly cap of black hair curled softly around a slightly round face with fine features and a cupid’s bow mouth. Her chin was small and her neck was long, elegant. Her skin was a soft, creamy brown, and she was tall for a woman, probably 5 foot 10 inches.

She dropped a cabbage leaf into a bin at the top of the cart and placed a smooth green orb onto a pile of cabbages in the open cooler. “You look lost. You new in town?” Her smile sent a heated spiral spinning through his gut and Peyton felt himself responding as he hadn’t done in years.

He stopped a few feet away and shook his head. “You could say that.”

“Can I help you find something?” She repeated.

“Happens I just needed a cabbage or two.”

She rolled her lips to stop the smile he suspected came easily to her. Her beautiful brown eyes had soft crinkles at the corners that told him she smiled a lot. “Two cabbages, huh? What are you making?”

“He leaned a hip against the cooler and grinned. “Now that’s a very personal question, ma’am. I don’t generally divulge my recipes until at least the third date.”

She threw back her head and laughed, the sound finer than Mozart on a warm summer evening. “I wasn’t asking for your recipe, just your menu. They are different you know.” Her brown gaze slipped over him and the smile turned soft. Then she seemed to catch herself and she blinked, looking away.

She bent down, pulled another cabbage from the bottom shelf of the cart and ripped an outer leaf from it rather ruthlessly. “I just wondered if you were going to need carrots to go with your cabbage.”

Peyton’s gaze never leaving hers, he gave her a seductive grin. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t think of leaving here without some carrots.”

Sexy Snippet Sunday

Welcome to my first ever Sexy Snippet Sunday! I plan to highlight a sexy snippet from one of my books every Sunday. I hope you enjoy them. Today's snippet is from my soon to be released paranormal novella, Cupid Only Rings Twice (January 27th, Musa Publishing -- Love Notes Anthology).

Blurb: Rori Foster is too beautiful to find love. Men just can’t seem to look past her exterior to recognize the human being inside. But, this Valentine’s Day, Rori’s gonna meet an honest to god Cupid. And he’ll use more than arrows to win her love. Unfortunately he’ll have to save her from the bad intentions of a cocky Love Demon first.  But Damios is determined to protect her. Even if he loses her in the process.

Snippet:

Rori looked at the appetizers and groaned inwardly.

“I hope you like oysters.”

“Oysters? Oh, um, I’ve never tried them. I’ll probably just stick to the antipasto, it looks delicious.”

Damios lifted a shell from the platter and squeezed fresh lemon on it, holding it toward her. “Just one try. I promise you won’t die from it.”

Rori grimaced. “Are you sure?”

His sexy dark eyes sparkled with mirth. “I am reasonably certain, yes. And if I’m wrong I will give you mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

Rori grinned. Talk about motivation. “I’m pretty sure mouth to mouth won’t do a thing for food poisoning.”

“No. But at least we’ll both enjoy your last moments.”

Rori shook her head, rolling her lips to keep from laughing.

Damios lifted the oyster closer. “Come. Try. Expand your horizons.”

For just a moment, looking into Damios’s dark eyes with the thick, velvet fringe of black lashes, Rori had a déjà vu moment that nearly took her breath away.

Deciding he wasn’t going to give up without a fight, Rori sighed, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.

She heard the scrape of Damios’s chair against the rough carpet. Smelled his warm, sandalwood scent as he leaned close. Felt the cool, rough edge of the shell against her lips. Then a slight pressure as Damios tipped the shell to expel its contents.

The oyster was cool and silky against her tongue, surprisingly not unpleasant. She swallowed quickly, feeling it glide down her throat in a cool wash.

The scent of sandalwood enveloped her. A warm fingertip touched her chin. Then Rori felt the sweetness of a pair of lips gently touching hers. She gasped, her eyes flying open, and looked into a pair of beautiful olive green eyes.

Damios brushed a finger over her chin, holding her gaze for a beat, before sitting back down and fixing her with a soft, sexy smile. “In my family we call it blessing the oyster. It is a practice passed down through generations.”

Rori swallowed hard, her lips still tingling from the delightful touch. She cleared her throat twice before she thought it was safe to speak. “I guess that’s why they call oysters the food of love.”

Damios didn’t respond. He simply picked up another oyster. “Would you like another?”

“Yes.”

His husky chuckle sent heat spiraling through her and made her wish there were more oysters on the plate.

~~*~~

January 27th, Musa Publishing, Love Notes Anthology