The brilliantly sexy geniuses over at Dirty Birdies have put together a fantastic blog hop for the next few days, and when I read about it, I had to sign up. They describe it best:

This is a hop for authors, publishers, bloggers… basically anyone who loves dirty books, has a website or blog, and wants to join in!

The hop runs from 25th – 27th June, and the theme is eye candy. So, whatever you want to do around that theme, be it a blog post, a character interview, an excerpt, the choice is yours. Just make sure it’s dirty

I’m sharing an excerpt from my upcoming novel, Holding Her Close (a story about first loves, second chances, and how the past will always haunt us if we let it). And there’s a giveaway at the end of the post too 😉

As a little bit of lead in: Zach is haunted by ex-girlfriends. The day his fiancée dumped him she also sold her shares of his multi-billion dollar corporation. On top of that, Rae, the girl who broke his heart in high school and the only woman he’s never been able to forget, is back in his life. She’s filling his business partner’s head with delusions of recovering from the hostile takeover, and haunting his most vivid fantasies. But he’s got a plan to solve half the problem: one night together and they can put the past behind them.

***

Damn it, he was being logical, and part of Rae was intensely grateful for it. “One night, just to prove a point, and we move on?” What was she doing?

If Zach was smug about the fact she was still there it didn’t show on his face. “Night, day. Not picky about the time.”

“It does make a certain amount of sense.” It wasn’t like she was going to get attached, and she could think of worse ways to remind herself why she and he didn’t talk anymore. Besides, the thoughts of running her hands over his sturdy chest, trailing her fingers down his arms, feeling his mouth…well…everywhere, made a compelling argument for giving it a try.

And once that tension was out of the way, maybe they could actually talk again. Rediscover the friendship that existed before they dated.

“Is that a yes?” He hadn’t moved, but every muscle in his body was tense.

No. No. No. What was she doing? Exactly what she wanted. “Yes. If it clears the air and makes it possible for us to be in the same room, then yes.”

“No other reason at all.” He closed the distance between them, stopping close enough to feel his heat, but not touching her. “It’s all about closure.” His gaze raked over her, lingering on her hips and again on her chest. “Well, maybe not completely. I’ll enjoy the view, too.”

Her breath hitched at the dark look. “When do we want to do this?”

He raised a hand until it hovered less than an inch from the side of her face, but never made contact. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Now?” She cringed at the squeak in her question. Swallowing to clear her throat, she tried again. “Don’t you have work?”

“It can wait. Besides, if I let you leave, I might miss my chance.” His voice was low but firm.

At least he had that right. Her desire focused intently on the man in front of her. “I don’t have any plans for a few hours. Did you have something specific in mind?”

He locked the office door, closed the remaining distance between them, and dipped his head. His eyes searched hers, lips hovering millimeters away, and then he kissed her.

The sensation was so light she wasn’t sure she felt it. She leaned in, mouth opening and whimper escaping when he traced his tongue over her bottom lip. Every nerve ending was on fire, screaming for more. His hand rested at the base of her neck, holding her in place, and he deepened the kiss, going from gentle to hungry in an instant.

His tongue twisted around hers in a desperate dance, and desire blossomed in her gut. God this was incredible. Had it been like this before? No, neither of them had been so experienced. She rested her hands on his chest, heat searing her palms.

She fumbled to find her breath when they finally broke apart. His finger brushed her swollen lips, dancing over the sensitive flesh.

“You’re sure this is a good idea?” She didn’t want to question it, but she needed reassurance. Another voice to tell her the lust screaming through her veins wasn’t misplaced.

The corner of his mouth pulled up and he nudged her back, hands on her hips, guiding her until she bumped into the desk. His soft growl echoed in her ear as he kissed along her lobe. “Possibly the best fucking idea I’ve had all week.”

Zach never swore when he had a leash on his words. He was as lost to the moment as she was. The realization made the warmth between her legs slick with anticipation.

Hands still on her hips, he lifted her to sit on the edge of the desk. She draped her arms over his shoulders, fingers interlocking at the base of his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. His slacks scraped along her thighs when he nudged them apart with his knee. Her denim skirt crept higher when he slid between her legs.

He traced a line down her jaw and to the base of her throat, kissing the hollow immediately below her choker. His voice rumbled through her chest. “A collar. Fantastic.”

“Don’t read too much into it.” Her laugh was cut off by a sigh when he slid a hand under her shirt and up her spine.

She scooted closer, wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock strained through fabric, pressing against her mound and making her pulse scream in anticipation.

A sharp knock echoed through the room and Rae’s already hammering heart almost tore from her chest.

****

Giveaway Details

There’s a Grand Prize of a Gift Card to the winner’s choice of retailer, i.e. Amazon, ARe, Barnes & Noble, etc. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning that is leave a comment on this post. Perhaps tell me your favourite eye candy?

And to extend the fun a little farther, I’m also giving away a $15 Amazon gift card and a e-copy of Holding Her Close (which means you can win it before its official release date). To enter, just leave a comment below along with your email address (you must leave your email address), and on June 28, I’ll pick one lucky winner. Because both prizes are digital, the contest is open internationally.

Entering here also enters you to win the grand prize, and don’t forget to check out the list on Dirty Birdies for more hot, sexy eye candy, and more chances at the grand prize!