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Excerpt
Dulcina stepped over him and sat, back propped against the wall with legs bent over top of his outstretched legs. Yes, the space was cramped, but physical contact never bothered her, in any form.
Her home didn’t have room for a comfy chair or a breakfast table, so improvisation was a norm. She took the pizza box and set it down to her left, between them.
“Hungry...pet?” Dulcina asked, just barely avoiding the use of his name.
His eyes narrowed on her, then solidly corrected her. “Jake.”
She smiled. So persistent, this man. Dulcina pointed to the box. “It’s all I’ve got.”
“Not a fan of cold pizza,” he said, more of an easy statement than an objection.
“It isn’t exactly cold. Just not hot.” Dulcina shrugged. “Eat or starve. Your call.”
He grabbed a slice, took note of how she'd folded her slice, and did the same. They sat in silence, which gave her time to watch him from the corner of her eye. When he'd finished his slice, he scanned the room thoughtfully, then seeming resolved, grabbed another slice. What had he been looking for? Perhaps a refrigerator. Interesting. He'd rather eat what he didn't care for than waste food.
He was an observant thing. Practical. Another sliver of begrudging respect surfaced, and Dulcina forced herself to admit this man wasn't nearly as irritating as she'd first assumed. Other than the fact that he needed tending.
Dulcina settled a little deeper into her position against the wall, intending to shut off her brain until this show ended. Futile. Every little movement Jake made drew her attention. He glanced at the last slice in the box. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, practically able to see the war in his mind. Some imagined obligation not to waste food battled with the reality of him being stuffed full, and she could see the signs. Leaning back, he stifled a belch. Why torture himself with more food? Must be a human thing.
Folding the lid on the box closed, she leaned over his legs and tossed it onto the floor. When his questioning gaze met hers, she simply said, “You keep eating and I won't be able to lift your ass at all.”
A grin flashed across his face, and he nodded, unwilling to fight her over something he didn't truly want in the first place. Crossing her arms over her chest, Dulcina stared at the television, avoiding his dashing smile and the things it did to her libido.
For several moments the sound of the TV filled the space between them, and then Jake reached over a rather short distance, and grabbed her foot. Stunned by his impulsive behavior, she met his gaze, subduing the hot flash of wariness at the contact. All he did was grin again.
The heat of his palms wrapping around her chilled foot was a shock to her system, and after the astonishment wore off, she tugged her foot, but the grip of his right hand was far more tenacious than she'd expected. If she'd so desired, she could have easily freed herself from his grip, but she curbed her more violent responses, well aware she could injure him further.
“What are you doing? Let go,” she snapped.
“I haven’t been doing anything for days. I’m finally feeling good enough to move, but I can’t without hurting, and it sucks,” Jake grumbled, flinching slightly as his facial expressions tugged on the scabbed tissue on his lips, the bruises around his eyes. He calmed quickly, lowered his gaze to her foot, and slowly moved his thumb in a circle. “Doing nothing is making me stir crazy. I'm upright, and feeling mostly okay. Just let me have a focus, will ya?”
Dulcina’s jaw nearly dropped at his admission, not to mention the stern scolding. Not because they'd been the most direct words he’d spoken since she’d brought him home, and not at all because he was telling her flat out what he wanted from her, but because she shared those same sentiments. She went positively stir crazy without a focus. Every night. His words resonated with her, and his resolve sparked her interest.
What would he do then, if given free rein to do as he pleased? An experiment seemed in order. Dulcina released the tension in her leg, gave the full weight of it over to his hands.
Jake slowly drew her foot back onto his lap, the positioning more for the benefit of his bruised and cracked ribs than her comfort. Once she adjusted and settled, he pinned her with a ‘pay attention’ gaze and pointed to the TV. Directing her? Interesting. To what end?
Dulcina did as he asked, keeping a sharp eye on him in her peripheral vision. Once he seemed satisfied that she’d obeyed, he set to work on her foot. Jake didn’t watch the TV with her, and he wasn't keen on catching her reaction to his touch. Instead, he truly threw his entire focus into rubbing her foot from ankle to toe.
Sinfully thorough, this man. After he’d taken his time rubbing every inch of her foot with those distracting fingers and drawing bone-melting circles with his thumbs, he cupped his hands around her entire foot with a gentle, firm pressure. The contact was delicious, warming her in a way that had little to do with physical heat.
Jake tapped her shin, and when she looked up, a question on the tip of her tongue, she saw him pointing to the other foot. This was strange. All of it. A man she didn’t know was touching her, taking pains to see to her comfort, while he was still recovering from multiple injuries. This tender, selfless care was something done between mates.
Dulcina flinched. That thought was jarring.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Jen Colly. . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I like movement. Whether through dialogue or action, the story is always humming along. You may find yourself in the middle of a heated argument, or tossed into a battle scene. I'm a true romance writer in the fact that the main two will always have a happily ever after, but for everyone else in the stories... Not everything is peaches and cream, and not everyone lives.
Is there romance? Or course! Sword fights? Absolutely. Risks and rewards. Why, yes. Fistfights? I love them. Secrets and subterfuge. Changing alliances, aristocracies crumbling, and mixed species hiding among vampires. It's a series...so does this book have closure? Yep. Each is a stand-alone book, and while every story puts things into motion for future books with little hints dropped along the way, you will have a happy ending for the main characters with each book.
Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?
Gideon Basteen. I though he was ready. The Lost Angel was supposed to be book 8. That was the plan. Something is...off. Not missing, just off. I don't know where his head is going to be near the end of book 7. Events are not solidified, his reactions and actions not set in stone. The man is rather predictable, but the circumstances around him are not. He's been living on edge for so long, and he may need a moment to recover. But where's the fun in that?
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Well...it's more like he can't wait to be put onto paper. While working in Jovan (The Cities Below: 7), someone shouts this man's name. I've always known his name. He was not a part of the story. Just a guy who fell asleep while drunk on the job. That's all he was, and all I needed from him. Period. But when I got to his part in Jovan... The instant his name was bellowed through the empty abbey, everything changed. I knew him. I could see his face, his twitches and paranoia. His purpose, his past, his species. I knew what he had to do to survive. I ducked out of Jovan to write down the vital glimmers of this man's past, present and possible future story, and he wouldn't shut up. A little snarky and crass, crude, and he did not stop. I surfaced with over 15k words down. I didn't even have his other half's name until after the flow stopped because he wouldn't give it to me! This has never happened before. I always know both main characters names. He dug in his heels and gave me nothing. He called her Sweetheart, Doll, Love, Wildcat, anything but her name. Intentionally dodging that connection. He is vocal, and demanding a book directly after Jovan. He's forgetting I have a day job and cannot dedicate my life to him, and yet he “doesn't give a blessed damn”. His book is going to be one wild ride, and if he keeps being so pushy, he may just get his way.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Book 7 will be Jovan. Jovan doesn't like to cooperate, he does everything his way without remorse, and he's got a lot of explaining to do. When one of the few people he cares for goes missing, he is prepared to take on the world to get her back. Jovan has been wayward for far too long, and it's time he found focus, a cause worthy of his abilities. Love.
I've been toying with a dragon trilogy. I say toying because I've never written in first person before and I'm giving it a try. I'm not sure my brain is ready to shift in that direction, but it's been fun.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
I'm rocketing through the next two books in the series, and hope to have Jovan in the final edit stages by the end of the year. The following book should be in the beta-reading stage at that time. This all depends on me, of course. No pressure.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?
Dev. Devlin Savard. Captain Savard. I love him. I am so biased. Initially, I didn't understand him. I knew I needed him, as captain, to clean up the broken pieces of the city after the attack. I never expected him to rise to the occasion while carrying the massive burden of a dark secret on his shoulders. He has saved so many lives, guarded his city tenaciously, pulled the strings of fate for so many people. When it was his turn in The Guardian, I had no idea what was in store for him. He was dying, tired of fighting, and he'd given up. He needed light. Joy. A shining beacon of hope in his life. I gave him Sera.
Thank you Jen Colly for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.
Website – https://www.jencolly.com
Night Stalker - https://books2read.com/u/mdRqxW
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jen.colly.1/
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Newsletter – https://mailchi.mp/eb08325e6cbd/jen-colly-newsletter
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8634547.Jen_Colly
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This is fantastic! Thank you very much!
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