“Going to invite me in?” That deep, dark tone always sent a shiver down her spine, but Cyn stiffened it. She wasn’t going to give in to him that easily. Julian would have to work to earn the right to bite her. “Nope.” “Damn.” His hand drifted to her thigh. “Have I mentioned I like your costume?” “Maybe.” She pushed his hand down to her knee. She wasn’t opposed to him touching her. In fact, she’d love to do more than touch, but Cyn wasn’t easy. It was going to take Julian more than a date or three to get her boy shorts off. That wicked gleam was back in his eye, and she just knew something outrageous was going to pop out of his mouth. “How do you feel about role-playing?” Cyn bit her cheek to keep from laughing. Role-playing, huh? “Well, Role Master was a bitch to learn because of all the Companion books, plus you needed a physics calculator just to figure out your stats.” The car swerved as Julian jerked, his expression shocked. “Some versions of Dungeons and Dragons weren’t too bad, but Star Wars seriously sucked unless you were a Jedi.” She tapped her fingernail against her lips. “Wait, did you mean pen and paper or online RPG’s, because—” His expression had gone completely blank. “Oh, my god. You’re a geek!” “Yup.” She waited for the usual explosion she got when she revealed her secret life as a (gasp!) nerd. Most of the guys she dated either laughed their asses off at her, thus ending any chance they had of getting into her boy shorts, or simply stopped calling. What self-respecting man wanted to date a tattooed geek? If anything was capable of scaring Julian off, this would be it. “That is so fucking hot.” His gaze had turned reverent, those brown eyes sparkling with laughter. Apparently one freaky Bear did. Cyn’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?” He grinned at her and pulled to the curb before turning in his seat to face her. “What on-line game do you play?” She blinked. He couldn’t be serious. Could he? “Which one do you think?” “I’d say DDO, but I’m betting it’s World of Warcraft. Eve Online would be too boring for you. Not enough action.” She nodded before she could stop herself. “Wait. You play?” “Yup.” “You.” “Yes.” He was looking confused. Good, because so was she. “Mr. Shits-in-the-Woods.” “Hey! I only do that when I’m fuzzy. And I have high speed internet in my cave, thank you very much. Why, recently, I installed a dorm fridge right next to my sleeping furs.” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Fine. Yes, WoW, and I play a paladin.” He blinked, then grinned. “I play a warlock.” “Pfft. Of course. It all makes sense now. You’re a spell-caster.” Cyn sneered at him good-naturedly. “Oh yeah. Because it takes serious brains to beat the bad guys with a huge metal stick.” Julian rolled his eyes in disgust. Cyn studied her nails. “Oh look, I’m a big, bad warlock. I think I’ll give myself a mani-pedi while my summoned pet does all the work.” “Yup. I named my pet Paladin.” They glared at each other across the console. “Hmph.” Cyn relented first. “Maybe we could group sometime.” “Oh, baby. I am so turned on right now.” Julian leaned forward and tried to steal a kiss. Cyn added another bruise to his leg. She was really beginning to like these shoes. “You’re mean.” Julian pouted as he put the car in gear and turned down her street. “Yes. You have a problem with that?” She was fighting off a laugh. God, the man was such a goof! And he liked the same stuff she did, crazy though it was. She was in such deep shit. “Nope.” He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. “I like it.” She shivered. His deep voice had turned sultry, sexy as hell. She had goose bumps running down her arms. How the hell was she supposed to resist him when he spoke like that? He leaned over the console and cupped the back of her head. She had learned to crave his taste in the short time they’d been dating. Cyn wasn’t one to give in to cravings just for the hell of it, but she was learning that Julian’s kiss was more than a craving. It was rapidly becoming an addiction. Her heart beat faster as his lips drew near. She wanted his kiss more than anything, even more than she’d wanted Living Art. God, what was she supposed to do? Two weeks of dating and the man had her melted into a puddle of mindless goo. His mouth came down on hers, gentle, and patient, his tongue stroking her lips until she parted for him and allowed him inside. His taste hit her, made her shiver. Her nipples beaded beneath her padded bra, a new addition to her wardrobe thanks to a certain sexy Bear. It wouldn’t do to let him know that they went hard whenever he touched her. He kept it slow, languid, seducing her with his kiss, his hands staying exactly where he’d put them. He was adhering to the rules she’d set down, and she’d never been more sorry in her life. Julian broke the kiss and smiled down at her. His eyes were pure silver. “Let me walk you to your door tonight.” Oh hell to the no. If Julian got to her door she’d invite him in, and she wasn’t ready for that. She swallowed hard. “Not yet.” Is that my voice? It was husky and low and, God help her, chock full of a need she wasn’t quite ready to fulfill. Julian grimaced and shifted in his seat. He smiled, and she was once again reminded of why she wanted to take things slow when his fangs poked his bottom lip. “I’ll watch for your signal.” She shook her head. Really, the man took overprotective too far sometimes. No one was after Cyn, and the fucker who’d been after Tabby was in shifter jail, hopefully getting his ass reamed by Tony the Tiger. “You’re the one who told Alex and Ryan to constantly stop by the shop, weren’t you?” Those silver eyes darkened back to brown. “Why would I do that?” He pulled back until he was back in his own seat. “Alex is the overprotective one, not me. Ryan, on the other hand, just wants his mate.” The look he shot her should have melted the dashboard. “I understand how he feels.” She remembered some of the things Alex had told her, about how shifters yearned for their mates until it became almost painful. “Have I told you you’re doing a good job with the whole dating thing?” “It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” She could practically feel the laugh trying to break free. She huffed and tapped her foot. “Way to ruin a mood, Share Bear.” He froze. “Oh no you didn’t.” She opened the car door and dashed for her front door. There was a Bear on her tail, and she had no intention of getting caught too easily. She giggled and dug out her keys, but didn’t get any further than jangling them in the direction of the lock before she found herself pressed against the door. One hundred eighty-five pounds of laughing hunk caged her in, one impressive package brushing against her lower back. Wait. She giggled? Since when? Cyn laughed, smirked, sometimes even guffawed, but she never giggled. Pretty soon she’d be in a Martha Stewart apron, learning one hundred ways to cook with honey. “Get off me, you big dork.” “Don’t you want to rub my tummy symbol?” God damn it. How did he do that? She was giggling like a loon again! “Go away!” She wiggled, elbowing him right in his symbol. “But I want to share with you!” He was laughing right along with her, and that made all the stupid giggles worth it. He could have easily gotten pissed, but instead he’d run with it, taking the insult and turning it around on her. She had fun with him, even when they were both wearing the lamest costumes on the planet. Okay, the guy who’d shown up as SpongeBob Squarepants might have the mighty lumberjack beat, but barely. “I think we’re done sharing for the evening.” She turned in his arms and stared at him. It amazed her how someone as good looking as him could want someone like her, but according to Tabby, once Julian had gotten a whiff of Cyn’s scent no one else would ever do. “But I’m really good at cuddling.” He was doing his damndest to look innocent, but the devilish gleam and silver eyes gave him away. “Especially in bed.” He patted her butt. “Just call me Teddy.” “Uh-huh.” She pushed against his chest and he took a step back. Damn. The boy had some muscle on him, muscle she was dying to see. Why couldn’t he have tried to mate me in summer? She opened the door and waved good-bye with a cheery grin. “Night-night!” He sighed and stared at his stomach. “You failed me.” “Are you talking to your tummy symbol or your—” The look he shot her from under his lashes dared her to finish that question. "If you like paranormal books with lots of humor, sizzle, and geeky references than this books for you!" Four and a half stars, Guilty Pleasures Reviews "I’ve adored Dana Marie Bell’s Halle stories from the very beginning. The characters are fun, imaginative, snarky and could easily pass for someone you might know – minus the fur." Five stars, Romance Junkies Reviews "This is the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud and smile too wide. Bell has fun with her characters, and it shines through on every page, each story is unique and breath-taking." Five stars and top pick, Night Owl Reviews |
| eBook ISBN: 978-1-61921-159-9 Samhain Publishing Apple/iTunes Kindle Kobo Nook Sony |
| Home About Dana Contact Dana Coming Soon eBooks Print Books Appearances Works in Progress Copyright © 2012 Dana Marie Bell. All Rights Reserved. |
| Print ISBN: 978-1-61921-128-5 Samhain Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble |
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Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
To save the woman he loves, he must push his gifts to the brink.
Julian DuCharme, a rare Spirit Bear with legendary healing powers, is finally free from
the threat of death, finally free to claim his mate—but she’s not having it. While his Bear
screams it’s time to mate, the love of his life wants to date.
Holding his Bear in check while convincing her he’s not out to control her won’t be easy.
She’s stubborn and a closeted geek—in other words, perfect for him.
Cynthia “Cyn” Reyes, owner of Living Art Tattoos, thinks Julian is the hottest thing on two
legs. That doesn’t mean she’s going to roll over for his masculine charm. She watched
her mother flounder when her father passed away, and she’s determined to never lose
herself to someone else. Not even a man who would jump the moon for her, if she asked
that of him.
When the women of Living Art are targeted by a killer, Julian doesn’t think twice about
pouring out his last drop of power to keep Cyn safe. But it’s Cyn who’ll give up
everything—her independence, even her humanity—to keep a terrifying vision from
coming true.
One of his death.
Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a tattooed heroine
and the Bear who loves her. Maybe he’ll finally convince her to tattoo him with
“Property of Cyn”.
Length: Novel
To save the woman he loves, he must push his gifts to the brink.
Julian DuCharme, a rare Spirit Bear with legendary healing powers, is finally free from
the threat of death, finally free to claim his mate—but she’s not having it. While his Bear
screams it’s time to mate, the love of his life wants to date.
Holding his Bear in check while convincing her he’s not out to control her won’t be easy.
She’s stubborn and a closeted geek—in other words, perfect for him.
Cynthia “Cyn” Reyes, owner of Living Art Tattoos, thinks Julian is the hottest thing on two
legs. That doesn’t mean she’s going to roll over for his masculine charm. She watched
her mother flounder when her father passed away, and she’s determined to never lose
herself to someone else. Not even a man who would jump the moon for her, if she asked
that of him.
When the women of Living Art are targeted by a killer, Julian doesn’t think twice about
pouring out his last drop of power to keep Cyn safe. But it’s Cyn who’ll give up
everything—her independence, even her humanity—to keep a terrifying vision from
coming true.
One of his death.
Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a tattooed heroine
and the Bear who loves her. Maybe he’ll finally convince her to tattoo him with
“Property of Cyn”.
