Guest Author TINA DONAHUE!
Friday, September 3rd, 2010Welcome my talented author pal Tina Donahue as she celebrates her new release IN HIS ARMS.
Sensual Tension by Tina Donahue
As a writer and avid reader of erotic romance, one of the things I like most about the genre is the building of sensual tension along with the emotional connection between the hero and heroine.
To make it play out to its fullest, you need conflict that’s perfectly melded to the participant’s underlying current of passion. Once you achieve that, the scenes become very interesting. . .and satisfying.
In my latest erotic romance, In His Arms, the sensual tension is an integral part of the plot, heightened by the underlying danger. Here’s a blurb and an excerpt to illustrate what I mean.
SUMMARY:
Owned by one man, loved by another. . .
Abducted and delivered into sexual slavery, Lori has surrendered her will in order to survive. For more than a decade, she’s been known as Summer, a lovely submissive, her owner’s possession until he gives her to his newest lieutenant, a mysterious man called RJ.
Commanding and virile, RJ dominates without cruelty and possesses without threat, engendering a mixture of safety and passion. In his strong arms, Summer enjoys carnal pleasure she’s never known and tenderness she’s craved. In his heated gaze, she experiences a sense of recognition she doesn’t immediately understand until it proves dangerous in a way she could never have imagined.
Bound by desire and their growing love, RJ traverses the shadowy world of human trafficking, risking all for Summer’s freedom only to learn she harbors a fateful secret that threatens to tear her from him, leading to an irrevocable event that risks both their lives.
EXCERPT: (In this scene, Summer and RJ are alone after having just spoken with Anthony, a ruthless human trafficker. Anthony has told RJ that Summer will always want him more, something RJ cannot abide. And a lie Summer is desperate to dispel.)
She unzipped her dress, pushing it from her torso to her knees, letting it drop to the floor.
RJ turned to the faint whooshing sound and faced her.
Even with her misgiving, she couldn’t deny his masculine appeal. She liked his hair windblown. Its wildness enhanced the dark whiskers on his upper lip, chin and cheeks.
His gaze took in her nudity, lingering on her peaked nipples and smooth mound. Animal heat surfaced in his eyes, along with something else. Anger at Anthony’s words, spoken solely to humiliate? Rage at her attention to the man?
Uncertainty held her to the spot. Passion warred with caution. RJ’s big body could injure or comfort her. His large hands might deliver pleasure or punishment.
“I won’t hurt you”, he’d said.
He hadn’t as yet.
He’d been in prison, his life as hard as hers, and yet he’d shown her some measure of decency and respect. Repeatedly, he’d protected her from Hogan. He’d called her a lady. He’d told her she had no reason to be afraid. Even when she’d pissed him off by asking too many questions, his touch hadn’t injured, it had aroused.
Because he was wooing her as Anthony once had, or because he did have a core of goodness?
Summer had no idea, only time would reveal the truth. Willing herself to relax, she forced herself to step out of her dress and went to him. Naked…deliberately submissive, she murmured, “Tell me what you want.”
He stopped her hand from resting on his chest, brushing it away. His fingers went to her throat, the same as this morning in the penthouse shower, his palm now chilled from the clammy day.
As he stepped forward, she backed up. Her ass and shoulders bumped the wall’s white-washed surface. To her right, a yellowed photograph of a Spanish family from another century bounced slightly. The frame made gentle tapping sounds.
RJ held her gaze. His blue eyes bore into hers. Summer’s breath caught as he brought his mouth to her ear. Lids sinking, she smelled cherry tobacco and the lime-scented shampoo he’d used. She inhaled haltingly.
He pressed closer and spoke at a volume no microphone could pick up. “Don’t play me.”
Summer heard the warning in his voice, the possessiveness beneath it and something more. A hint of naked pain, so like her own. Gently, she curled her fingers around his wrist and turned her face to his ear. Given their stance, whoever watched them from the closed-circuit cameras most likely believed they were engaging in pillow talk. She kept her tone as low as he had. “I’m not, RJ. I haven’t.”
His free hand went between her legs, slick with her juices. She inhaled sharply as he stroked it.
Mouth to her ear, RJ said, “This is for him.”
She shook her head, the movement brushing her cheek against his. “No.”
He kept his body against hers, giving her no chance to escape. “I told you not to lie to me.”
“I’m not.” Her body melted into his, offering no resistance. “I knew what he’d do when we arrived. It’s happened before. I had to be prepared.”
RJ’s hand stalled on her mound. “Before we left the suite, you used your lubricant?”
“No.” She paused to swallow, then murmured, “I knew you didn’t want me to.” He said nothing, his body tensing against hers. Expecting him to accuse her of lying, she offered the truth. “On the way to the pool house, I thought about last night. While he touched me, I imagined it was you.”
Breathing heavily, he remained as he was for a moment then stepped back. Summer opened her eyes. RJ searched her face as though trying to determine if she was playing him, if this was nothing more than a con. She held his gaze, allowing herself to be emotionally vulnerable, to recall his playfulness when he’d pretended to drop her in the hall, his mischievous wink, the way he’d kissed her birthmark.
Gratitude welled in her at his kindness, along with a growing fascination for him, no matter how foolish. Summer knew even if his tenderness and integrity proved genuine, business would always come first. Someday he’d turn his back on her as Anthony had, leaving her to another man, warning her of what she already knew. She wasn’t a woman he would ever love.
Pain flooded her soul, while her heart ached to enjoy what comfort and pleasure he could give her now.
“I want proof,” he insisted, his voice still brittle with hurt.
Summer shook her head, not knowing what else to offer except the truth, her mind racing for a way to provide it.
RJ didn’t give her a chance.
Her lips parted on a surprised gasp as he bent from the waist and slung her over his shoulder, her ass pointing to the ceiling, her legs and arms dangling over him as he straightened.
Down the narrow hall he went, his booted foot kicking open doors, revealing the bath, a spare bedroom, an exercise area and finally the master bedroom.
Dominating the space was a king-size canopy bed of black wrought iron, the headboard, footboard and overhanging canopy painstakingly crafted with arabesques, the filigree providing a graceful, feminine look. In the right corner of the room, near the door, a closed-circuit camera hung from the ceiling.
RJ bent forward, depositing her in the middle of the mattress. As she made contact with it, the bedframe creaked from her weight and the bronze comforter puffed around her body, delivering her Dolce & Gabbana scent. It mingled with the lemony furniture polish the maid had used earlier.
Eyes fixed on her, his mood intent, RJ went to the light switch, flicking it on. Just past the bed, four bulbs blazed from the bottom of the ceiling fan, the glass fashioned to resemble flames. RJ went to the next wall and flipped that switch. On the heavy mesquite dresser, light poured from two brass lamps, the illumination glinting off the ornate mirror behind them.
Summer’s gaze darted to her reflection—her upper body propped up on her elbows, her legs sprawled—then back to RJ.
*****
In His Arms is available today, September 3!!!
Buy Link:
http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8593-50-in-his-arms.aspx
Email: tina@tinadonahue.com
Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097
To celebrate today’s release of In His Arms, I’m offering a contest today. One lucky commenter will have her choice of one of my following books:
1. Lush Velvet Nights – ebook
2. Adored – ebook
3. Deep, Dark, Delicious – ebook
4. Close to Perfect – mass market paperback
5. Bad Boys with Red Roses – trade paperback
6. Take My Breath Away – trade paperback
** Winner chosen at random. Winner in continental US has her choice of one of the six. Winner outside continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks.
A little about Tina Donahue:
Tina Donahue is a multi–published novelist in contemporary, historical and erotic romance. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work; she has reached finals and /or placed in numerous RWA–sponsored contests. She was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern newspaper, worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company, and is currently the Managing Editor for a global business document concern.
