Realms of the Raven - Erotic Romance Author Maura Anderson

I’m so excited. Texas Tea releases tomorrow and I have another piece of good news that I’m waiting for a last piece to be tied down before I shared it.

You can find another excerpt and the buy link on my website.

In the meantime, here’s another excerpt of Texas Tea for you to enjoy…..

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He knelt in front of Lara and untied her hiking boots. The tight double-knots took some work to undo before he could loosen the laces and tug the boots off. Despite the mess in the room, his own time in the military had instilled some habits in him that he’d never broken and he almost laughed at himself when he realized he’d placed the two boots neatly side-by-side, perfectly lined up with the laces folded up and tucked inside.

When he tugged off her boot socks, he was treated to a surprise¾the woman who dressed in bulky unfeminine clothing had bright fuchsia pink toenail polish on. He carefully examined her narrow feet and dainty toes for any signs of foot problems or blisters, trying to ignore the fact that even her feet were sexy.

Her feet seemed in good shape, though he had to resist nipping one.

She wasn’t going to sleep very comfortably in all her clothes. He wanted her to get as much rest as possible so he should change her into her pajamas or whatever she wore as night clothes. She had to have brought them with her.

A short search later and he’d discovered no trace of nightclothes. Apparently Lara slept in the nude. The mental image of her covered only by a sheet was amazing, not that he could allow himself to contemplate that image for long.

She also seemed to have a liking for sexy, lacy and skimpy lingerie. The underwear and bras he’d found while looking for pajamas looked like they belonged to a completely different person from the one that owned the ugly cargo pants, thermal knit shirts and flannel barn coats. He couldn’t think of two styles that could be more different. She had some secrets just under her clothes.

But if she normally slept naked, she definitely wouldn’t sleep well in all her clothes. He had to undress her so she could sleep properly and be rested for tomorrow. The excuse sounded thin, even to him. Coyote yipped in mockery, as close to a laugh as he got.

Standing beside the bed, he pulled her thermal knit shirt up and over her head, then extracted her arms from the long sleeves. Just awake enough to realize she was being undressed, Lara tried to help but only succeeded in hitting him in the head with one flailing arm.

After his eyes uncrossed from the blow, he saw that she was indeed wearing a bright celery green lace bra with black trim. The bra lovingly clasped her lush breasts, enhancing her considerable cleavage. Her dusky nipples were visible through the elegant lace, almost more decoration than mere functional garment.

A few nudges and he succeeded in getting her to turn onto her side so he could undo the back clasp of the bra and tug it off. Thank the ancestors that he had a moment to try to calm himself before having to resist her luscious breasts in all their bare glory.

He resolutely reached over her hip and unfastened her loose cargo pants. A few tugs and the pants were pulled off her hips to reveal the second half of his self-induced torment–a thin, lacy green thong that matched the bra. The deep breath he took to steel himself to resist the temptation she embodied backfired when he inhaled the scent of musky, damp pussy.

He was in trouble now, major trouble.

Considerable willpower was needed to move her fully up onto the bed and tuck her under the covers of the bed. He couldn’t bring himself to actually remove her panties. He didn’t think he could do that and still resist taking her right then and there.

He neatly folded her clothes and left them beside the hiking boots, then cleared the various documents and computer off the bed. She’d locked the laptop to the heavy wooden bed frame, so the best he could do was to place it carefully on the floor, leaned up on the wall so it wouldn’t be accidentally stepped on.

Lara probably wouldn’t remember that he was going to pick her up tomorrow. If she did, it would be darned near a miracle. He should leave a note so she’d know for sure. Remembering seeing notepads and pens on the coffee table, he returned to the living room to write a note.

How to make sure she saw it… Ah. The perfect solution was the most obvious–he propped it up on top of the camera bag with Lara’s name on the front. He placed the cottage keys there as well.

He checked her again to make sure she was okay. The phone on the bedside table had a phone number taped to it for incoming calls and he took a moment to program the number into his cell phone before turning his attention back to Lara.

Tucking the covers a little higher on her shoulders, he bent over to give her a gentle kiss. She whimpered as his lips met hers and her dainty tongue traced over his lips until he found the strength to pull away.

He really, really needed that run now.

Stay tuned for a link as well as chances to win a lovely set of prizes.

In the meantime, here’s an excerpt to tease you!

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Neither the situation nor Cody seemed dangerous, at least not to her. The ghosts usually warned her of threats. It was one of the useful side effects of her affinity with them. Too bad their presence also scared off every sane person she spent any time with until she no longer even tried to get close to anyone. Being alone by choice was easier than the inevitable rejection when the ghosts decided to frighten them away from her.

The sounds of clanking and voices from the doorway Cody had disappeared through drew Lara’s attention back to the here and now. The decor wasn’t really what she’d expected — from the name of the bar, she’d almost expected a Dias De Los Muertos theme of bright colors, skulls and maybe some skeletons but, instead, it tended toward a modern mission style with a lot of wood and earth-toned Southwestern touches. A warm and cozy bar for such an unusual name.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a hint of movement and whipped her head around to follow it. She caught just the briefest glimpse of what looked like a dog before it disappeared down the hallway marked “Private”. A dog in a food establishment?

Poised halfway out of her chair, she tried to see if she could spot the animal again. Cody suddenly chuckled directly behind her and she leapt sideways. Trying to not fall on her face, Lara teetered, arms flailing in a desperate attempt to regain her balance.

A hard yank from Cody and she was in her chair again, sprawled with legs spread and heart pounding so hard she thought she would pass out. “You scared me.” Her voice sounded breathless and trembling, adrenaline already doing a number on her system.

He had the nerve to laugh at her and she forgot her fear, forgot that he wasn’t just a human, even forgot that he was nearly a foot taller and much heavier than she was. Her lifelong hatred of being laughed at made her temper flare. Too exhausted to moderate her impulsive reactions, when he set her mug of tea on the table and his arm was within reach, she lashed out and slugged it. Hard.

The force of the impact screamed up her arm. The man must be made of stone. He merely laughed harder while she cradled her now throbbing hand to her chest and glared. A small part of her was appalled at her loss of control over her temper and own actions but she successfully ignored it.

“You sure you don’t want to act as her tour guide, Code?”

The husky baritone voice, sultry, overlaid with a sexy drawl, preceded the man who sauntered from the hall.

Oh. My. God. Attractive as Cody was, this man was stunning. Shorter than her host, he was just as muscular but more compact. Her fingers longed to explore the texture of the glossy black hair he wore cut military-short. His face was tanned and clean-shaven with a tantalizing square jaw and high cheekbones she’d bet spoke of more than a touch of Native American mixed with his obvious Latino ancestry.

Every movement was silent and graceful, nearly soundless, even in his jeans and cowboy boots. The sinuous sway of his hips as he walked reminded her of the calculating, smooth motions of a wild animal, a predator.

And his eyes, his eyes were a bright gold she’d never seen before, framed by thick black lashes that only served to make them more piercing. They were an almost inhuman color, one that would be more at home in the face of an animal.

“Texas, this is Lara Saunders. Lara, this is my friend Matthew Martinez. He’s the Park Ranger I told you about.”

Lara continued to gape at the newcomer, oblivious to the hand he held out to her until he forcibly picked up her own from the table to shake it.

Even his touch felt wild and untamed. And it carried the unmistakable touch of the spirit world as well.

I’ll be having a contest for a great set of prizes, so stay tuned!

Here’s a short excerpt to tease you…..

Excerpt

Neither the situation nor Cody seemed dangerous, at least not to her. The ghosts usually warned her of threats. It was one of the useful side effects of her affinity with them. Too bad their presence also scared off every sane person she spent any time with until she no longer even tried to get close to anyone. Being alone by choice was easier than the inevitable rejection when the ghosts decided to frighten them away from her.

The sounds of clanking and voices from the doorway Cody had disappeared through drew Lara’s attention back to the here and now. The decor wasn’t really what she’d expected ¾from the name of the bar, she’d almost expected a Dias De Los Muertos theme of bright colors, skulls and maybe some skeletons but, instead, it tended toward a modern mission style with a lot of wood and earth-toned Southwestern touches. A warm and cozy bar for such an unusual name.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a hint of movement and whipped her head around to follow it. She caught just the briefest glimpse of what looked like a dog before it disappeared down the hallway marked “Private”. A dog in a food establishment?

Poised halfway out of her chair, she tried to see if she could spot the animal again. Cody suddenly chuckled directly behind her and she leapt sideways. Trying to not fall on her face, Lara teetered, arms flailing in a desperate attempt to regain her balance.

A hard yank from Cody and she was in her chair again, sprawled with legs spread and heart pounding so hard she thought she would pass out. “You scared me.” Her voice sounded breathless and trembling, adrenaline already doing a number on her system.

He had the nerve to laugh at her and she forgot her fear, forgot that he wasn’t just a human, even forgot that he was nearly a foot taller and much heavier than she was. Her lifelong hatred of being laughed at made her temper flare. Too exhausted to moderate her impulsive reactions, when he set her mug of tea on the table and his arm was within reach, she lashed out and slugged it. Hard.

The force of the impact screamed up her arm. The man must be made of stone. He merely laughed harder while she cradled her now throbbing hand to her chest and glared. A small part of her was appalled at her loss of control over her temper and own actions but she successfully ignored it.

“You sure you don’t want to act as her tour guide, Code?”

The husky baritone voice, sultry, overlaid with a sexy drawl, preceded the man who sauntered from the hall.

Oh. My. God. Attractive as Cody was, this man was stunning. Shorter than her host, he was just as muscular but more compact. Her fingers longed to explore the texture of the glossy black hair he wore cut military-short. His face was tanned and clean-shaven with a tantalizing square jaw and high cheekbones she’d bet spoke of more than a touch of Native American mixed with his obvious Latino ancestry.

Every movement was silent and graceful, nearly soundless, even in his jeans and cowboy boots. The sinuous sway of his hips as he walked reminded her of the calculating, smooth motions of a wild animal, a predator.

And his eyes, his eyes were a bright gold she’d never seen before, framed by thick black lashes that only served to make them more piercing. They were an almost inhuman color, one that would be more at home in the face of an animal.

“Texas, this is Lara Saunders. Lara, this is my friend Matthew Martinez. He’s the Park Ranger I told you about.”

Lara continued to gape at the newcomer, oblivious to the hand he held out to her until he forcibly picked up her own from the table to shake it.

Even his touch felt wild and untamed. And it carried the unmistakable touch of the spirit world as well.

In part, I wrote Texas Tea because coyotes fascinate me. We have a lot of coyotes near my home in the Pacific Northwest and I still remember hearing their song during the nights I spent in New Mexico as a child.

Here are some things you may not know about coyotes:

• The scientific name for coyote is Canis Latrans - “barking dog” and they are sometimes known as prairie wolves.
• Coyotes were originally residents of mostly the Southwest United States but have adapted so well to humans in the last several hundred years that their home range has expanded to most of the continental United States and into Canada.
• A coyote can run over 40 mph.
• A coyote can easily clear an 8′ fence.
• Coyotes do not hibernate in winter.
• Although coyotes are primarily carnivores, they have been known to eat fruits and vegetables, even to raiding melon patches.
• Male pups leave the mother’s pack at between six and nine months old, female pups stay with the mother’s pack.
• Both male and female coyotes tend to and feed their pups.
• Coyotes used to be diurnal (day time) but have changed to now be basically nocturnal due to human pressure.
• Coyotes are the most vocal of all North American mammals.
• Coyotes will fill the ecological niche of wolves in the absence of wolf populations.
• Coyotes are preyed upon by wolves, bears and cougars but packs of coyotes will attack wolves.
• Coyotes are often seen as Tricksters in Native American mythology.
• Only one fatal coyote attack on a human has ever been recorded.
• Some Native American oral traditions have Coyote as the personification of the First People, a mythic race that predated humans.

Texas Tea is coming soon from Aspen Mountain Press! You’ll have to see what coyote facts have made it into my coyote shifters - the Desert Song People.