My Sexy Saturday #100 - Across Time by Rayne Forrest

Welcome to my corner of the 100th edition of the My Sexy Saturday blog hop. My Sexy Saturday is a group of authors each posting seven sexy sentences or paragraphs from one of their works. To celebrate MSS#100, I'm going back to Across Time.

Across Time was the very first book I every published and holds a special place in my heart. It wasn't the first book I wrote, but that's the way this business works. 

So without more rambling, here are seven sexy paragraphs from Across Time.

* * * *

Corri wished he’d stop smiling at her. She was very aware of their isolation and the fact she suddenly wished he’d stop talking and kiss her. It had been five long, lonely years since he’d kissed her. She couldn’t give in to her emotions. She had a job to do. “You’re not that Irish, and you’re certainly not that funny.” She turned on her heel and stalked off.

Devin quickly caught up to her and fell into step beside her. “We found a cave. Or, I suppose I should say, a cavern. We’ve not explored it beyond the entrance. We’re not equipped.”

Corri snorted. He sounded like it hurt to admit his lack of equipment.  “Did you touch anything, Tremaine? Disturb anything?” God help them if he had. Winston’s head would probably explode if Devin’s crew had moved even a grain of sand.

“No and no. There’s evidence that some large carnivore used the area for a den. We didn’t linger for dinner.” He shot her a wry glance.

Corri tried to look disgusted with him. Devin thought he was funny. And charming. Of course, he really was. Therein lie the problem.

“How big is it?” she asked, instantly regretting her choice of words.

His blue eyes gleamed at her with amusement. “Come on, Dunn. I didn’t whip out my tape measure and check it.”

* * * *

ACROSS TIME is available now at Amber Quill Press.
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1954-Across-Time.aspx

More about Across Time:

Corri Dunn’s mission to distant Adhara VII begins on a downhill slide. Not only have her superiors withheld vital information, but Devin Tremaine knows what it is. Corri must face Devin, and what happened between them five years ago, or lose her command. Confronting the truth means facing the fact she still loves Devin. She wants him back in her life, and her bed, but she has to complete her assignment first.

Devin Tremaine made one big mistake in his life – he lost Corri Dunn when she needed his understanding and he couldn’t give it. Now they’re both at Adhara VII, caught in a web of deceit – and renewed passion. Corri’s been sent into a trap and he’s the only one who can save her.

The secrets of Adhara VII unlock their past, present and a future fast unraveling. To survive, Corri and Devin must make a leap of faith – across time.

Rayne Forrest
www.rayneforrest.com

It's a blog hop! Be sure to check out the list below for more sexy excerpts.

Step Into Tomorrow for #MSS84

This week the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is about sexy tomorrows. How perfect is that for Step Into Tomorrow? This book is all about the moment of choice for what tomorrow will be to both our hero and heroine. Will they make it tomorrow? Or should the true question be when will that tomorrow exist?

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Step Into Tomorrow.
= = = = = 
Rhys hoped she realized they would share a room tonight. And a bed. He couldn’t let her out of his sight. It was too risky. She’d bolt like the hounds of Hell were after her. Thank all deities she’d never see the real thing. They’d blocked the way out of the lower layers of time known as Hell.

The thought of being in a bed with her, even if he stayed on top of the covers while she was under them, brought his cock to attention. The memory of her beneath him burned in his blood. He wanted her, and he had five years to get her. Starting tonight would work out just fine.

“Oh, and find a place that has, um, what’s it called? Room service? I’m hungry.”

“Eat your crackers if you need food,” she shot back. “We can cross the state line and look for a place. Crossing the state line makes you a worse sort of felon or something.”

"Really? You mean I might become wanted by NASA?”

She groaned. “Why me? Why does it always have to be me? Why do I get the good ones?” She finally shifted in her seat to face him. “It’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Rhys. The F-B-I. Not NASA. NASA is the people who go into outer space. You know outer space. Isn’t that where you came from? Didn’t Scotty beam you down?”

His hands clenched around the steering wheel as he gave her the truth.“No, beautiful. I didn’t come here from outer space. I came from the seventeenth layer of time. Oz.”

STEP INTO TOMORROW
Available now at Amber Quill Press
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/413-Step-Into-Tomorrow.aspx

Rhys St. Clair is the best of a select group of highly trained time specialists. When events in the layers of time run amok, it’s his job to step through the Matrix and fix the problem. A mistake in his calculations sends him back to the year 1996 and nets him more than he ever bargained for – Sophia Townsend.

Sophia Townsend needs a life makeover. When a confused stranger shows up inside her home, with no idea of where he is, or even what year it is, it doesn’t take Sophia long to figure out the man in her living room is the most interesting guy she’s ever met, and the sexiest, too.

When Rhys whisks her away, Sophia isn’t sure if she’s been kidnapped, or if the handsome stranger is taking her on the greatest adventure of her life. When the truth catches up to them, Rhys has only one thing left to offer her – but only if she’s brave enough to step into tomorrow with him.

Rayne Forrest
http://www.rayneforrest.com

Check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs below for lots of great excerpts from the participating authors! 

Step Into Tomorrow for My Sexy Saturday

Welcome to Twenty-six Keys and my little corner of today's My Sexy Saturday. Check out the list at the bottom of this post for all the My Sexy Saturday blogs. 

For MSS #70 it's seven sexy paragraphs from the time-travel romance, Step Into Tomorrow. 

+ + + +

She watched as he poured a generous four fingers of bourbon into a glass. Good. Maybe he’d fall over in a stupor, and she could call the cops. They could drag him out of her house.

“This won’t do me in, Sophia. Not by a long way.” He cocked his head quizzically. “Or is that not by a long shot? I don’t remember.”

“It’s a long shot.” She snorted as derisively as she knew how to, and she did know how. All she had to do was channel her mother and grandmother. “Where are you from that you can’t remember that?”

He gave her another little bow. “I’m from the future.”

Sophia sprang off the couch. It was time to teach him who she was. She was over her shock. If Eddie could become assertive, so could she. Rhys was leaving now.

“Don’t fucking mock me, buster! Get out of my home!”

“I’m not mocking you. I wouldn’t do that. Fucking you, however, is an intriguing idea.”
+ + + +

Step Into Tomorrow is available at Amber Heat, an imprint of Amber Quill Press.

About Step Into Tomorrow:

Rhys St. Clair is the best of a select group of highly trained time specialists. When events in the layers of time run amok, it’s his job to step through the Matrix and fix the problem. A mistake in his calculations sends him back to the year 1996 and nets him more than he ever bargained for – Sophia Townsend.

Sophia Townsend needs a life makeover. When a confused stranger shows up inside her home, with no idea of where he is, or even what year it is, it doesn’t take Sophia long to figure out the man in her living room is the most interesting guy she’s ever met, and the sexiest, too.

When Rhys whisks her away, Sophia isn’t sure if she’s been kidnapped, or if the handsome stranger is taking her on the greatest adventure of her life. When the truth catches up to them, Rhys has only one thing left to offer her – but only if she’s brave enough to step into tomorrow with him.

Rayne Forrest
http://www.rayneforrest.com

My Sexy Saturday - Across Time

Welcome to my corner of the My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop! I'd like to thank the organizer, Lynn Crain, for hosting the hop. I generally follow along even if I don't submit a blog post. And considering the situation with my backlist, I won't be joining in every week. It gets a bit boring to have the same book on the blog hop time after time after time and I like lively better. 

Across Time - not the first book I wrote but the first book that was published and available out in the world. It's been a long journey to here but a good one. Here's seven sexy paragraphs from Across Time.

=======

It didn’t take long for the call from the Avery McKenna to come. Rose had followed protocol to notify other orbiting ships of a shuttle launch and that a ship’s captain was onboard. Devin grinned wolfishly as Corri’s voice filled the shuttle.

“What do you think you’re doing, Tremaine?”

“Well, hello, Corrine. Fancy meeting you way out here.”

“Listen, you son of a bitch. You land that shuttle on Adhara VII and I will personally take you into custody.”

He didn’t think he’d mind that too very much, especially if she used handcuffs.

“Your momma needs to go get her money back from that fancy finishing school she sent you to. Tsk, tsk. Such language.”

“You are not funny. Park that shuttle anywhere but back on that piece of garbage you fly and I’ll have to arrest you.”

ACROSS TIME
available at Amber Quill, All Romance eBooks, and Amazon.

Corri Dunn’s mission to distant Adhara VII begins on a downhill slide. Not only have her superiors withheld vital information, but Devin Tremaine knows what it is. Corri must face Devin, and what happened between them five years ago, or lose her command. Confronting the truth means facing the fact she still loves Devin. She wants him back in her life, and her bed, but she has to complete her assignment first.

Devin Tremaine made one big mistake in his life – he lost Corri Dunn when she needed his understanding and he couldn’t give it. Now they’re both at Adhara VII, caught in a web of deceit – and renewed passion. Corri’s been sent into a trap and he’s the only one who can save her.

The secrets of Adhara VII unlock their past, present and a future fast unraveling. To survive, Corri and Devin must make a leap of faith – across time. 

Rayne
http://www.rayneforrest.com
http://twitter.com/rayneforrest

History repeats itself - again

Here I go again on my own...

No, it's not David Coverdale belting out a hit song. Once again the universe has spoken and I've no choice but to listen. The owners of Whiskey Creek Press have decided to sell the company. 

It was a good run, albeit a complacent one. Time was things were different. Then came the Triskelion bankruptcy debacle. Then came the Aspen Mountain Press implosion. This time, though, it's different. Sort of. 

Whiskey Creek gave authors the option of agreeing to the terms of the purchaser and I opted out for the simple reason I'd never heard of the purchaser. So now all but one of my Whiskey Creek titles will be going out of print. One Summer will still be available but I don't have a clue as to the new link. Frankly, it's not with my full blessing they kept this title. I have the distinct impression that had I not agreed to let Start keep One Summer, I wouldn't have had a chance in hell of getting the other books back.  And I'm still not about to sign the form. (7/6/14 -As it is, Start instructed Whiskey Creek to return rights to ten "works" to me and I haven't gotten the reversion letter yet. I may not if I don't sign the form.) 

I suddenly have a MUCH better understanding of why an author would self-publish. 

Fortunately, Across Time and Step Into Tomorrow are with Amber Quill Press. It may sound strange but the very first ebook I ever purchased I bought at Amber Quill. I was delighted to be able to place a few stories with them. 

I'm back to wondering what's the right move. Maybe there isn't one. And maybe, like before, a door will open and shine a light out into the void and point me in the right direction. 

Rayne

Across Time by Rayne Forrest

Across Time is now available at Amber Heat
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1954-Across-Time.aspx

The secrets of Adhara VII unlock their past and present, and threaten a future fast unraveling unless Corri and Devin take a leap of faith – across time.  

Corri Dunn’s mission to distant Adhara VII begins on a downhill slide. Not only have her superiors withheld vital information, but Devin Tremaine knows what it is. Corri must face Devin, and what happened between them five years ago, or lose her command. Confronting the truth means facing the fact she still loves Devin. She wants him back in her life, and her bed, but she has to complete her assignment first.

Devin Tremaine made one big mistake in his life – he lost Corri Dunn when she needed his understanding and he couldn’t give it. Now they’re both at Adhara VII, caught in a web of deceit – and renewed passion. Corri’s been sent into a trap and he’s the only one who can save her. 

EXCERPT:

Oh hell! He was walking toward her. Corri was aware of her crewmembers behind her in the meadow. It couldn’t be helped. If she walked over the rim and out of sight her security people would come running. She had to stand her ground.

He wasn’t even breathing hard when he stopped about six feet away. He took off his sunglasses to look her up and down.

Her heart pounded in her chest but she kept her tone cool. “Do I pass inspection?”

“You always did, Dunn. Congratulations on getting the Avery McKenna.”

“Thank you.” She’d had the ship three years. “What are you doing here, Tremaine? And don’t try and weasel out of telling me the truth.”

“We all take orders. Mine said come here. Didn’t yours?”

“We can stand here and verbally spar all day and get nowhere. But I’d rather have some answers. Wouldn’t you?”

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, eh, Dunn?”

“Is that what you are? My enemy?”

“It’s not what I want to be. It’s what you made me.” His gaze warred with hers.

“That’s not true,” she denied, moving away from him. She wasn’t ready for this conversation. In truth, maybe she had made him the enemy.

“Look, Dunn, let’s wave the white flag.”

Corri fought the urge to fidget under the calculating look Devin gave her. In that instant she knew with a certainty she didn’t question that he knew more about why they were here at Adhara VII than she did.

“I can’t, Tremaine. It’s as simple as that. I have a job to do here.”

“Do you, now? Part of the job ramming your ship’s titanium nose up my fuel vents?”

She flashed him her best smile. “Afraid to tap the braking thrusters, were you?”

“What did you hope to accomplish? A star UFPA captain dropping into orbit and the first thing she does is break the regs. I’m disappointed.”

“So deal with it. Your people made the proper adjustment.”

“My people should not have been required to do so.”

“I’ll instruct my flight crew to be more precise in their measurements.”

Devin paused and looked her up and down again. She clamped her teeth firmly together and struggled to remain silent under his perusal.

“Well, Dunn. You know where to find me should you reconsider that white flag.” He turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at her. “Nice job getting here in four days. New engines?”

Corri looked at him and saw the boyish interest in more speed, more power and having his toys be bigger and better than the other kids.

“Oh yeah, Tremaine,” she replied smoothly. “They’re amazing. Too bad you’ll never get a look at them.”

He flashed that ear-to-ear grin of his, transforming his face. It made her flush warm with memories of him, of them together. She pushed them away, knowing she couldn’t go back.

“Maybe before we pull out of here, you’ll change your mind,” he said softly, a touch of Irish lilt in his voice.

“No. I won’t.” She turned and headed down the hillside to her landing site and refused to look back.

= = = = =

Across Time

sci-fi romance from author Rayne Forrest

available now at Amber Heat, an imprint of Amber Quill Press

http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1954-Across-Time.aspx

New cover reveal - Across Time

Corri Dunn’s mission to distant Adhara VII begins on a downhill slide. Not only have her superiors withheld vital information, but Devin Tremaine knows what it is. Corri must face Devin, and what happened between them five years ago, or lose her command. Confronting the truth means facing the fact she still loves Devin. She wants him back in her life, and her bed, but she has to complete her assignment first.

Devin Tremaine made one big mistake in his life – he lost Corri Dunn when she needed his understanding and he couldn’t give it. Now they’re both at Adhara VII, caught in a web of deceit – and renewed passion. Corri’s been sent into a trap and he’s the only one who can save her.

The secrets of Adhara VII unlock their past, present and a future fast unraveling. To survive, Corri and Devin must make a leap of faith – across time. 

*****

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be with Amber Quill Press and to have them publish Across Time. While I write both contemporary and sci-fi, I actually enjoy writing sci-fi a bit better. It's fun to build a world where all the rules are mine. I suppose that says something about me, but there is it. Veritas. 

Interviewers ask the question, "What inspired the story?" all the time. I think it's a prerequisite for an interview. Across Time developed from a scene in a television show where the hero was white water rafting. I thought it would be cool to have our hero and heroine stuck together on a raft. So then I had to create a planet with a river and a couple of space ships to get them to the planet. Yes, it was fun! 

The title Across Time has myriad meaning. It references love surviving across time, both the love between our main characters and the love of fellow man. Then there's that pesky temporal shift business of moving between time lines that the characters have to sort out to stop the bad guys from going back in time to wreak havoc.

I do wish the cover had our main characters Devin Tremaine and Corri Dunn on the it in some sort of sexy pose, but when I saw the picture of the city on the mound, it was too perfect to the city in the story. The coin flip went in favor of the city. You'll just have to believe me when I say the romance is in the story and Devin and Corri do like to get busy. Besides, finding pictures of couples in 24th century fashions isn't easy, even with google. 


To read an excerpt from Across Time, please visit my website at http://www.rayneforrest.com/AcrossTime.html

Rayne 
www.rayneforrest.com
www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

Available today - Step Into Tomorrow

They say good things come to those who wait, and I've waited a long time to get this story to a worthy publisher. Enjoy!

Step Into Tomorrow
futuristic time travel/erotic romance
Rayne Forrest
available now at Amber Quill Press

http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/413-Step-Into-Tomorrow.aspx

Rhys St. Clair is the best of a select group of highly trained time specialists. When events in the layers of time run amok, it’s his job to step through the Matrix and fix the problem. A mistake in his calculations sends him back to the year 1996 and nets him more than he ever bargained for – Sophia Townsend.

Sophia Townsend needs a life makeover. When a confused stranger shows up inside her home, with no idea of where he is, or even what year it is, it doesn’t take Sophia long to figure out the man in her living room is the most interesting guy she’s ever met, and the sexiest, too.

When Rhys whisks her away, Sophia isn’t sure if she’s been kidnapped, or if the handsome stranger is taking her on the greatest adventure of her life. When the truth catches up to them, Rhys has only one thing left to offer her – but only if she’s brave enough to step into tomorrow with him.

INTRO
“I could’ve done better.”

“No doubt. You’ve had practice. Now open that fancy atlas you bought and figure out where we can stop for the night, because we’re stopping as soon as it gets dark. I want off this main thoroughfare before we lose the light, too.”

Sophia gave him a surprised look then grabbed up the book and started rapidly flipping through the pages.

Rhys hoped she realized they would share a room tonight. And a bed. He couldn’t let her out of his sight. It was too risky. She’d bolt like the hounds of Hell were after her. Thank all deities she’d never see the real thing. They’d blocked the way out of the lower layers of time known as Hell.

The thought of being in a bed with her, even if he stayed on top of the covers while she was under them, brought his cock to attention. The memory of her beneath him burned in his blood. He wanted her, and he had five years to get her. Starting tonight would work out just fine.

“Oh, and find a place that has, um, what’s it called? Room service? I’m hungry.”

“Eat your crackers if you need food,” she shot back. “We can cross the state line and look for a place. Crossing the state line makes you a worse sort of felon or something.”

“Really? You mean I might become wanted by NASA?”

She groaned. “Why me? Why does it always have to be me? Why do I get the good ones?” She finally shifted in her seat to face him. “It’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Rhys. The F-B-I. Not NASA. NASA is the people who go into outer space. You know outer space. Isn’t that where you came from? Didn’t Scotty beam you down?”

His hands clenched around the steering wheel as he gave her the truth.

“No, beautiful. I didn’t come here from outer space. I came from the seventeenth layer of time. Oz.”

EXCERPT

Rhys had only one option. Well, two, but letting them arrest him wouldn’t work. What would happen when he vanished without a trace from a holding cell one bright, sunny day? He went back to the bed and crawled back under the sheet.
He had to put his arms around her one more time before he sent her back to her life. He gathered her close. “Sophie. Wake up, beautiful.”

She opened sleepy eyes and blinked. Gods, she looked like a woman who’d been fucked, and well, all night long.

He lowered his lips to hers and poured everything he had into the kiss. All the wonder of the night spent in her arms, all his longing for a life with her. All his regret.

She clung to him, returning his kiss with awakening passion and her own longing. He pulled away.

“Sophie, the authorities are outside. You need to get dressed and walk out of here like nothing ever happened. Tell them you needed to get away for a night, and you’re going home.”

Her face paled. “I won’t leave you! What will you do? Where will you go?”
“You have to leave me. I’ll be fine. I’ll go out away from civilization and put down a marker. Hector will find me and get me home.”

“I can’t go home! There’s nothing there for me.”

He hesitated. More than anything, he wanted to be with her. But what had to be, had to be. They had to go their separate ways. It was the only solution—for her. She deserved better than him.

“There’s no time and no choice. Go home, beautiful. Go back to your life.”

“No. We’ve got to think of something else.” She pushed him away. He mourned the loss of her touch, for his arms that would be empty for the rest of his life—without the chance to really know her.

“Don’t fight me on this. I’ve already done you enough harm. Forget about me. Forget you ever knew me.”


Step Into Tomorrow
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-051-1
futuristic time travel/erotic romance
available now at Amber Quill Press
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/413-Step-Into-Tomorrow.aspx


Rayne Forrest
Visit my website: http://www.rayneforrest.com
Read my personal blog: http://twentysixkeys.blogpspot.com
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/rayneforrest
Join my mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/authorrayneforrest
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

Step Into Tomorrow

Step Into Tomorrow. I wonder if I attempted to send myself a subliminal message when I settled on that title for my next book. Every book needs a title, and I prefer a title that has something to do with the actual story. Most folks do. The story has a time travel theme and requires a leap of faith for the heroine to stay with her man. Beyond that, don't we all step in tomorrow on a daily basis?

Step Into Tomorrow is set to release next weekend at the Amber Heat imprint of Amber Quill Press. I'm pleased to be associated with Amber Quill, which is a "by invitation only" publisher. The first ebook I ever purchased was at Amber Quill way back in 2003, and I quickly learned they were a cut above the rest when it the quality of the books they published. I hope that the Rayne Forrest brand will have a long association with Amber Quill Press.

Stepping into a new year, with a new publisher, has made me stop and once again seriously consider if it's time to launch a new author brand. I've learned so much, grown so much, that perhaps it's time for a fresh start. Author branding is something to think about. My older stories - Across Time, The Curiosity Shoppe, Truest Treasure, A Hero's Bargain, Mountain High, Under a Painted Moon - remain as good stories, but my voice as a writer has matured. I've pondered the question of a fresh start for a while.

If I want to explore some of the ideas for stories I have, it may be the way to go. It's always good for a reader to know what to expect when they buy a book from [fill in the name]. I don't think a Rayne Forrest reader would like to buy a Rayne Forrest book and discover it was something other than erotic romance. Say...inspirational. This is what I mean by author branding.

I guess I won't find a clear answer until I step into some more distant tomorrow. Perhaps like most other important decisions in my life, I'll simply wake up one morning and know. My continued musings on the subject probably mean I will start anew some day, but the right time to do so hasn't yet arrived. Know thyself.

While I search for the perfect path to take, I have the opportunity to work with some amazing people, for which I'm grateful.

So...next weekend, new book! If you'd like to read an excerpt, I invite you to visit my website at http://www.rayneforrest.com/StepIntoTomorrow.html . If you'd like to get on the Amber Quill Press mailing list, visit http://www.amberquillpress.com/AQP_newsletters.html to sign up. Or you can check back at Twenty-six Keys. After the book goes live, I'll be making the promo rounds on the blogs and such.

Until then, play safe.

Rayne

UPDATE: Step Into Tomorrow is now available at Amber Heat at
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/413-Step-Into-Tomorrow.aspx