Release day and Giveaway!

Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce....

I don't think I can sit still today,  cause I am far too excited.

My sexy Italian firefighter Alex is yours to own! *big grin* Too Hot To Handle released today and I am too excited for words.

When I first thought about what I could write about for NaNoWriMo 2010 Alex popped into my head. Well, a vague idea of Alex. Then I went in search of some visual inspiration and found it in Joe Mangianello

And somehow and I can't think why *giggles* the words flowed.

Now Too Hot To Handle has had several re-writes since that original draft and the heat level has increased considerably *ahem* as my writing evolved into the steamy stuff I now do, so enjoy.

I am giving one lucky commenter the chance to win a PDF copy. All you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment.

To get a little more of an insight into Alex check out Raven McAllen's interview with the man himself here. I am also on Tory Michael's blog today talking all things writing.

For now I shall leave you with another little snippet from Too Hot To Handle

When firefighter Alex Giovanni returns to his old neighborhood to fulfill family obligations, he is reunited with the woman inhabiting his dreams. The sexy siren ran out on him after one explosive night many years ago. Hiding behind her sensible clothes she portrays the perfect image of Miss Prim and Proper and Alex vows to unlock the passionate woman he remembers. Mixing business with pleasure has never been so much fun.

Kitty Jenkins’ orderly life gets turned upside down when Alex walks into her school. Their passion filled night four years ago has left her with a secret that threatens to tear them apart. Giving into Alex is out of the question, regardless of how much her body craves his touch.

When secrets spill and disaster strikes, can their passion turn into love?

Available from Evernight and Amazon

Excerpt

Alex knocked the brandy down in one go. All his, was she? If only that were true. But she was here, and she was making arrangements to have Noah looked after. She was so damn hot in the prim-and-proper skirt and blouse that she wore to school. Just watching her had him shifting in his suddenly tight jeans. Down, boy. She wanted to talk, remember. But then, they could always talk afterwards. He closed his eyes, recalling the way she had trembled in his arms earlier, and his smile turned wicked. This was long overdue. What he needed was to lose himself in her soft curves, and maybe then he would be able to sleep tonight without reliving that damn fire every time he closed his eyes.

****

 Alex’s gaze scorched her back whilst she was on the phone getting Noah’s care sorted out for tonight. Thank goodness for her neighbor. Gwen readily agreed to get Noah from nursery.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, my dear. Noah and I will be just fine. You take your time with that fire fighter of yours. I will make sure Noah has some dinner, and he can stay with me as long as it takes. All night if need be. I do love having him here.”

Heat rose in Kitty’s cheeks, and she heard Alex’s low chuckle when she answered Gwen. “He’s not my fire fighter, and I’ll be over as soon as I can. I have no intention of staying the night, Gwen.”

“Now that is a shame.” Alex’s low whisper right behind her made her jump. When had he gotten that close? She felt her hair lifted away from her neck, and replaced with Alex’s firm mouth as he rained kisses on the sensitive skin, whilst one hand reached around her to take the phone off her.

“Hey, Gwen. Alex here. Thanks for this…. Yes, I will. Don’t you worry…. I think so, too.”

Before she could stop him, he ended the call and threw the phone on the leather settee just in front of them. She turned around to look at him. “What do you think you’re doing, Alex?”

“I’d have thought that’s obvious.”

“Alex, we need to talk.”

“Talk is overrated, Kitty”

 She took a step back from the intense heat she saw in his eyes and swallowed nervously as Alex chuckled.

“Thought you were all mine.”

Oh, me and my big mouth! She spotted the bag of cards she had brought over and, sidestepping Alex, hastily grabbed it. She held the bag in front of her as though it was a shield.

“Urm, you haven’t looked at these. The kids made them for Lewis’s family, and—” The words stuck in her throat when Alex stopped where he was, and the sadness that suddenly came off him in waves was almost palpable.

He stepped away from her and poured himself yet another glass of brandy, one hip balanced on the kitchen counter, his knuckles white where they grabbed the decanter.

Kitty’s heart went out to him, and she dropped the bag. She crossed the distance between them and put one hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. Was it truly awful?”

Alex nodded grimly. “He shouldn’t have died. He was so young, Kitty, so goddamn young, his whole life in front of him. He was their only son. Imagine that. And I was the one who sent them into that building. I underestimated how unstable that side was. This is my fault, and there they were looking to me to tell them how he died.”

He reached once again for the bottle, but Kitty wouldn’t let him.

“It was an accident, Alex, a tragic accident. You can’t blame yourself; you were right there with them, weren’t you?”

She almost didn’t see Alex’s barely-there nod.

“And you said the initial investigation showed that it could not have been prevented. You told me that only yesterday. So it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of whoever the thug was that set fire to that lot in the first place. Think of all the lives you did save. All those neighboring houses that would have gone up in flames, too. All those families whose homes you saved. All the lives you’ve touched over the years, Alex.”

She moved closer still, taking his head between her hands to make him look at her. She was not going to let him take the blame for this, no way.

“You’re a hero, Alex. You all are, and I’m sure Lewis’s family will get some small amount of closure over this.  He will never be forgotten.”

****

“I wish I could believe that.”

Alex was stunned by the sincerity in Kitty’s voice, by those green eyes willing him to see her point of view. Not in his wildest dreams would he have thought anyone would ever fight in his corner like this.

“Believe it, Alex. Surely your family—”

“Did they look supportive to you, when I had to leave the party?”

“Well, no, but that’s only because they love you and don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s understandable, isn’t it? And Francesca and Nonna seem supportive, and your mother, well, she is just being a mother. I can understand that. You just want to keep your baby safe, can’t blame her for that, Alex.”

“I’m not blaming her, Kitty. I just don’t like her methods.”

“Which are?”

Alex sighed to himself.

“Alex, tell me what’s going on.”

Enough of this! He did the only thing he could do. He pulled her towards him and shut her up with a kiss.