The series focuses on
contemporary romance between unlikely pairings or those kept apart by forces
internal or external who are brought together by the magic of Cupid's arrows.
We're looking for heroes and heroines readers will want to see overcome the
odds against them.
Cupid's been a bad
boy...
After years of letting
love languish on Earth, Cupid has been banished to the surface until he teaches
humanity to love again. One couple—or more—at a time.
Sounds good to me, as does the contribution to Cupid Conquests I have in the spot light today!
*****
Ousted from Olympus
until he can restore true love to the world, Eros stumbles upon a match made in
heaven – if they can survive hell first.
Juliet doesn’t have much
in common with her namesake. Her career-centric life sorely lacks romance. Then
one night everything changes when she witnesses a gang shooting, and she ends
up a victim herself.
FBI Agent Jake Parker
has known Juliet for years, but only as the baby sister of his best friend. He
still imagines her as the awkward teenager she used to be. When Jake must
protect Juliet from the gang determined to eliminate the only witness who can
testify against them, he discovers that he’s not the only one who’s changed in
the last ten years.
As sparks fly and the
danger mounts, Juliet and Jake must decide what they're willing to risk in the
pursuit of what's possibly true love's kiss.
EXCERPT
Juliet
emerged from the shower, relieved to be out of the hospital and back at her own
house. Pulling off the plastic bag that had kept her arm dry, she limped to the
closet – her hip still a bit sore from the “flesh wound.” Easy for doctors to
say––it wasn’t their flesh that bullet had blazed a path across. She knew she
had far more pressing things to worry about, but she couldn’t help taking a
moment to hope the scar wouldn’t be too ugly once it healed.
Ablutions complete, she sank,
exhausted, onto the chair in front of her old-fashioned white vanity. Her
mother had used that vanity as a teenager, and she’d given it to Juliet for her
sixteenth birthday. Now, even at twenty-nine, Juliet still loved using it. Somehow
she always felt prettier seeing her reflection in that ornate antique mirror
than she did anywhere else, especially in the last few years since her mother
died. She trailed her finger over a tiny crack in the wood. Her mother had been
furious when Juliet had done that. Now, however, as she rested her palm upon
it, she couldn’t think of anything in the world she wanted more than a hug from
her mother and her reassuring voice saying everything would be all right.
The soft knock on the door startled
her. “Come in.”
Jake poked his head in the doorway.
“Are you doing okay? Need any help?”
“I’m managing.”
“You in a lot of pain?”
Juliet shook her head, attempting to
brush her hair left-handed. “The medication helps. I’m more frustrated than
anything.”
“So let me help.”
Jake came up behind her, took the
brush from her hand, and stroked it through her hair. His thumb grazed the back
of her neck as he gathered up a section of curls, holding them so he wouldn’t
pull at her head as he worked out a tangle. Their eyes met in the mirror and
held. Juliet’s heart thumped in her chest so loudly she wondered if Jake could
hear it. If he did, he gave nothing away as he ran his long fingers gently
across her scalp.
“You have beautiful hair.”
Juliet chuckled. “Now I know you’re
feeling sorry for me. My hair’s brown and boring.”
Jake shook his head, gently
separating out a few strands. His eyes met hers in the mirror once more. “No
it’s not. It has shades of auburn and even gold under certain light. It’s
beautiful.”
Her breath caught. The air around
them grew heavy with expectation as once more their eyes locked through the
mirror. Slowly, as though afraid any movement might startle him like a
frightened deer in the woods, Juliet turned around to face him. Desire flared inside
her. She’d wanted him for so long, and now, with the heat in his gaze… was he
finally going to kiss her after all these years?
Keeping her eyes glued to his, she
rose, their bodies so close they practically touched. Jake’s breath warmed her
cheek and a need, a hunger flared in his eyes. As he leaned in, Juliet’s eyes
drifted closed, the anticipation of having his mouth on hers at last
overwhelming her. And then it happened, his lips touched her––on the forehead.
What
the…? Juliet’s eyes flew open.
Jake abruptly stepped back, setting
down her brush. “Got any good movies? Let’s go watch a movie. I need a beer.”
He turned on his heel and practically sprinted from the room.
Juliet couldn’t understand what the
hell had just happened. She did know she wished she had thrown the brush at his
retreating back. He clearly wanted her. Didn’t he?
A photo of her and her brother Aaron
from her high school graduation caught her eye. Oh yeah. Aaron. Maybe that had
prompted Jake’s decision not to touch her? At least, she hoped that was the
reason and not that he still thought of her as an ungainly kid sister. But she
felt sure she hadn’t imagined anything. He had lightly licked in his lips in
that moment before leaning in, and the way he had caressed her hair definitely
didn’t feel like something a brother would do.
No, Jake wanted her. And she would
convince him to see that.
*****
Hmmm, I get the feeling she will get that kiss, don't you?
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