Nancy Gideon's Haunted Open House Blog Hop ~ Trick or Treat!

Enter if you dare!

I've very excited to be hosting Nancy Gideon's 4th annual Haunted Open House Blog Hop! Prepare to be spooked by joining me as I visit  the top ten most haunted cemeteries in the world. As a special treat, enter my Rafflecopter Giveaway below for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card, and continue your night of trick or treating at the other Haunted House Blog Stops for a chance to enter more giveaways.

Even for the bravest of souls, cemeteries can be creepy places, especially around dusk or at night.  Strangely enough, I love to visit old cemeteries and make a point of doing so everywhere I go...but only during daylight hours, of course!

How about you?  Do you get a little spooked in old graveyards?  Do you believe in ghosts?  Have you ever seen one? Click on the Youtube video below to experience the Top Ten Haunted cemeteries in the world for yourself!  

The Top Ten Most Haunted Cemeteries in the World

10- St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, New Orleans, Louisiana. This one ranks high on the scary scale for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that voodoo priestess Marie Laveau is entombed there. Rumor has it she still grants wishes to those who scrawl 3 “X”es on her grave.

9- Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland. Those heading here are well advised to pack a first aid kit. People have reported being scratched, bruised, burned and bumped while inside the grounds of the Covenanters’ Prison, a place where mass and brutal violence was once the norm.

8- Gettysburg Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Many say the US is still haunted by the Civil War, and at this burial ground they really mean it. Ghosts of both Confederate and Union soldiers are said to wander the area, including one that has a fondness for photobombing.

7- Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France. If you prefer seeing the ghosts of famous people to the normal, everyday ones, then this is the place for you. Regularly reported sightings include such notable figures as Jim Morrison, Marcel Proust, and Maurice Ravel.

6 - Westminster Hall Burying Ground, Baltimore, Maryland. If you don’t mind a bit of blood-curdling screaming – there’s a skull of a slain minister that yells a lot – Westminster provides a great opportunity to visit one of America’s greatest writers, Edgar Allen Poe. Not only is he buried there, his ghost is said to be a regular.

5 - Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, Czech Republic. Building over a burial ground is pretty much asking for a haunting. Not only did people double whammy themselves by putting a cemetery on top of a cemetery, they did so around 10 times. Not surprisingly, it’s considered a hotbed of paranormal activity.

4 - Resurrection Cemetery, Justice, Illinois. This is the perennial destination of Resurrection Mary, an apparition that has reportedly hitched more than one ride with kind strangers, only to vanish at the cemetery’s gates.

3 - Highgate Cemetery, London, England. Among the many spectral occupants of this location is a woman with long grey hair who frantically searchers for her deceased children. It’s said that she murdered them oh so many years ago.

2 - Chestnut Hill, Exeter, Rhode Island. When the body of Mercy Brown, who died from tuberculosis in the late 1800s, was exhumed it showed no signs of decay. Back then she was suspected of being a vampire, but now it’s said her time is spent visiting and consoling the ill.

1 - Stull Cemetery, Stull, Kansas. Other cemeteries can brag about their undead as much as they want, but they’ll never match Stull’s jewel of an attraction. It’s said to be the home of the actual ‘Gateway to Hell’. Which one gives you the biggest case of the creeps?

Our 2nd annual Haunted Open House is in full swing at Nancy Gideon By Moonlight on Goodreads.  Be sure to stop by for fun games, discussions, & a giveaway!

Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card and be sure to stop by these other Haunted Blogs to Trick or Treat & grab another giveaway entry chance to win!

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Lover Unbound Book Review...

♥Vishous & Jane♥

Title:  Lover Unbound
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5
Author:  J. R. Ward

My Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥'s

My Gut Reaction:  Heartache from cover to cover but I loved it! At times, I wondered how much more pain Vishous (or Phury) could endure. Very graphic, violent, & emotional read & yet always an underlying hope for a hea.




Synopsis:

In Caldwell, New York, war rages between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Now the cold heart of a cunning predator will be warmed against its will...

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous, son of the Bloodletter, possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time-until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her...

My Review:

Open the cover of Lover Unbound with tissues in hand.  This book may be the most heartbreaking yet, as we get a first-hand vision of the pain, cruelty and torture Vischous endured at the hand of his father.  We witness the horror that has made him into a cold, heartless shell of a man merely existing - never really living. Emotions mean nothing more than bad memories...nightmares to V.  But then in an act of rage, the unthinkable happens, and Vischous is mortally injured...it will take a miracle to save him and that's just what he gets when surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb operates on him. For the first time ever, Vishous feels something other than pain - he experiences an overpowering connection to this human woman, a burning desire to have her, and an emotion that is totally foreign to him - could it be love?!

What ensures is the story of Vishous & Jane, and it is one emotional trip.  The pages of Lover Unbound burn with their passion and bleed with their tears and heartbreak.  Every single time I thought they had finally made it to their hea, Ward would throw another obstacle in their path, sending them back into the depths of despair - literally to hell and back.  My own emotions were all over the place while reading this book, and still, I held on praying for a miracle for V. & Jane.  Among all the dark, heart-wrenching moments, I found an occasional spark - a ray of hope shining through the darkness, revealing what it means to love another more than life itself and how high the cost of forgiveness sometimes is.  Does love mean holding on no matter the cost or loving enough to know when to let go? 

Fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series are rewarded with a few big revelations in Lover Unbound, and the stage is definitely set for more shockers to come. There is not a dull moment in this one, and the ending will either leave you greatly satisfied or screaming in frustration.  No spoilers here so I'll just say I can live with it.  A must read!  An emotional wreck!  A Page Burner!

My Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart...xxx
Sandra

Remembered By Moonlight BTB Release Tour including Author Interview, Review, Excerpt, Trailer & Giveaway!

Remembered By Moonlight - By Moonlight Series #9 - Coming Oct. 13, 2014

It's been a long wait but Release Day is only 3 days away!  Yes, I'm talking about Remembered By Moonlight, By Moonlight #9.  Let me take a moment to say Thank You & Amen!  It's about time!  Author Nancy Gideon is here today, and we'll get her in the hot seat with a few questions, but let's start by drooling over the sensual cover & blurb of Remembered By Moonlight.  For your viewing pleasure, may I present the very sexy, dangerous King of the Beasts, Max Savoie.

Title:  Remembered By Moonlight
Author:  Nancy Gideon
Series:  Moonlight, #9

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 13, 2014
Length: 324 Pages

Buy Links: Amazon

Read my review @  Review of Remembered By Moonlight





               Because the road to . . .

Clever, cool and preternaturally lethal, Max Savoie is leader of a secretive shape-shifter clan, heir to a mobster’s legacy, and the love of New Orleans’ top cop . . . but he can’t remember any of them. The only way to recover his past, and his rightful place in the arms of the woman who risked all to save him, is to surrender to a mysterious visitor who could use him as a weapon against all he’d loved.

              Happily-Ever-After . . .

After rescuing her mate from his ruthless captors in the north, hard-hitting Detective Charlotte Caissie is now painfully vulnerable—a stranger in his eyes . . . and in their bed. The key to his memories is locked in a tortuous past. To reclaim the strength of their passionate bond, Max must learn to trust her enough to face that darkness at her side before the threat it hides exposes the secret Cee Cee carries.

               Is never smooth.

When an investigation into grisly deaths in an underground Shifter fight club points to more than just dangerous clan rivalries, Cee Cee enlists Max’s help to find a traitor in their midst while there’s still time to turn a deadly invading tide. But the cost of saving their treasured future may mean sacrificing his past. Especially when the enemy they pursue . . . might be Max, himself.

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

It was my great pleasure to be a beta-reader for Remembered By Moonlight.  You are in for an intense, intriguing, hell-of-a-ride as Max & Cee Cee step back into the spotlight and try to pick up the pieces left by the devastating events of the past.  If you are a fan of the series, you will cry, sigh, & smile while devouring this book...I'm expecting to hear some "Hell Yeah's"! If you are new to the series, you can discover past events along with Max as he rebuilds his memory & life one piece at a time.  (Although you are missing a special reading experience if you don't back up & read this series in order)

♥Meet Nancy Gideon, Author Extraordinaire!♥

Nancy Gideon is the author of over 55 novels ranging from Regencies, historicals and contemporary suspense to dark paranormal romance, with a couple of horror screenplays thrown into the mix.  When not at the keyboard or working full time as a legal assistant in Southwest Michigan, she can be found feeding her addictions for Netflix and all things fur, feather and fin, enjoying Grammy time (usually watching The Avengers), and meeting new friends and readers through her GoodReads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group. Her books can also be found under the pen names Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West and Lauren Giddings.

Stalk Nancy at any of her favorite haunts:

Website ♥ Blog ♥ Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Goodreads ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest 
♥ Goodreads By Moonlight Group

Interview:

Hi Nancy!  So happy to have you join us today.  Let's jump right in:

With Remembered By Moonlight, you’re self-publishing for the first time.  How exciting is that?!  Thumbs up or thumbs down?  Will you do it again or is it a one & done type experience?

I’ve gotten the rights back to a lot of my out-of-print titles so this is something I can see myself doing a lot of in the future.  I’ve enjoyed being at the creative helm with RbM – picking the cover graphics, doing the back blurbs, etc. and am lucky enough to know a lot of wonderful people who can help me along the way.  So far, thumbs up! Plus, doing it yourself gives you the freedom to publish things that the big houses aren’t interested in.

The last 2 books of the series (Betrayed by Shadows & Prince of Shadows) were ebook only releases.  Are there plans to release Remembered By Moonlight in paperback as well as ebook?

Definitely!  It’s being formatted for print.  I just hope I can make it affordable. Print on demand tends to run higher in price.  Readers were very unhappy about the e-only for the last two books of the series and I’m all about getting them what they want!

Max & Cee Cee return in starring roles in Remembered.  Tell us about the experience – easy as breathing or did they fight you every step of the way?  What can readers expect from them in Remembered?

Since they were integral parts of the Shadows books in the series, if only as secondary characters, it was no trouble bringing them to the forefront.  It did take me a while to bring Max back to life as the same robust hero he was in the early books because he’d been behind the scenes for so long.  It took an insistent fan (ummm, Sandra!) to get me properly focused again. Hopefully he’ll be everything readers remembered and MORE!  Charlotte took a lot of flak in the early books of the series because of her back and forth resistance to the relationship,  so readers should be thrilled to find her firmly behind her man in this one. 

Remembered will be a great book for those who haven’t read the earlier novels because they’ll be learning about them right along with Max.

The cover for Remembered by Moonlight captures the very essence of the man, Max Savoie, & the story as it stands now.  Tell us how you chose this cover, how it all came together, & what it symbolizes to you.

Originally, I was negotiating to use one of the photos from the shoot done for Masked by Moonlight so the model would be the same. Had a great pose all picked out but unfortunately the price was prohibitive.  But in a way, it was fortunate, as well, because I was able to find a picture of  THE Max I always envisioned when writing the books!  I won’t even go into how many hours I spent looking through sites at “Sexy shirtless man” photos.  A dirty job, but . . .

One of my critique partners, Patricia Lazarus, is also the cover artist who did my “Midnight” books for ImaJinn as well as my web page and we spent an afternoon toying with backgrounds and other photos for my upcoming  book trailer.  It’s great to have talented friends.  I’m thrilled beyond belief with the final product because it looks every bit as good as anything coming out of New York.

What’s next?  Talk to us about the future of the By Moonlight series & the direction you envision taking it.  Will Max & Cee Cee’s story continue?  Will other characters step up to claim their own book?  Any thoughts of a spin-off series?

It all depends on how well RbM is received by readers.  I could continue the series indefinitely and have a half dozen plot lines sketched out. I’ve considered novellas for some of the characters that would later be compiled into an anthology.  And down the road, a second generation young adult series.  I love these characters and have created a huge world with lots of potential. It’s all up to the fans and whether they want more.

What other books are in the wings?  Are you working on other projects that you’d like to share with readers?

I was very excited to get the rights back to the first three books in my “Midnight” vampire romance series.  They’ve been out of print forever.  ImaJinn books purchased them and is re-issuing them along with the rest of series with all new packaging.  They’ll be released one-per-month beginning in March, 2015 through the end of the year.  So who knows, there might be a new book in that series, too!

I’ve also got a group of contemporary romances that I wrote as Dana Ransom coming out through Bell Bridge Books.  The first three reprints came out in May (Love’s Own Reward), July (Totally Yours) and September (Lifetime Investment) with the final book (From This Day Forward), one that’s never been released before, coming out in November.

I’m also waiting to hear from a publisher on a young adult paranormal series proposal.

Let's close with a little Word Game.  Give me a word that describes:  

Just One!?! How about two?

Max Savoie:  Deadly,  vulnerable

Charlotte Caissie: Fiercely loyal

Cale Terriot:  swaggering hotness

Alain Babineau:  conflicted enigma

Silas MacCreedy: Intensely cool

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Remembered By Moonlight Trailer
Enjoy an excerpt from Remembered By Moonlight:

            Turning toward the open doors that let in the refreshing weather along with the cool wash of rain, she could just make out the silhouette of a figure at the porch rail.  Cee Cee’s heart stumbled then kicked up a notch as she admired his long lines and lonely pose.  She slipped out of bed, wearing just an oversized Saints T-shirt, and crossed the moisture-peppered floor to stand in the doorway.  Letting herself fill up with the sight of him.  His white shirt, damp and nearly transparent, molded to the muscles beneath it.  His black hair plastered to his head, as sleek as the sheets on their bed.  He didn’t move but she knew he was aware of her as she came up behind him.

He made no attempt to evade her when her right hand covered his where it rested on the railing.  His fingers slowly spread, inviting hers between them.

            “I’m sorry.”

        In lieu of more explanation, Cee Cee simply leaned into him, resting her cheek upon his broad back.  Her other arm slipped about his waist in a loose circle, palm riding his slow, even breaths.  For a long moment, he didn’t move, then his voice rumbled like the distant thunder.

            “Whatchu sorry about, cher?”

            “For taking things for granted.”

            Another lengthy pause then a prompting, “What things?”

            She sighed then just let go of all the confusion.  “I’m so used to you getting me.  You’re the only one who ever has.  You’ve always been one step ahead, knowing what I want, what I need.  I’ve never had a connection like that to anyone else.  Not the father I idolized, not Babineau who’s had my back on the street for years, not even to Mary Kate who shared all my secrets.  None of them understood the things I kept in my closet.”

            Silence, then a huskily intrigued, “What do you have in the closet that you only shared with me?”

            She chuckled, giving him a squeeze.  “Not a literal closet, Savoie.”

            “Oh.  Forgive me for thinking naughty thoughts.  You tend to inspire them, sha.”

            Her arm tightened about him as he lifted their joined hands to his lips to give hers a light stroke.  “It’s where we locked away our fears, our darkness, our pain.  We’d just started to do some serious housecleaning together when-I lost you.”

            “You haven’t lost me, Charlotte.  I’m right here.”

            “I know you are.”  Her voice hitched slightly.  “It’s just so hard, Max, to be with you and still feel so far apart, like I’m standing on the outside again.  I tend to forget that I’m not the only one lost.  That’s why I’m sorry.  I want us to be in this together, not standing separate and alone.  I don’t want to lose you, Max.  I can’t go through that pain again.”

            Max turned, releasing her hand to cup her cheek in his palm, thumb bruising away the tears threading through rain drops.  His features were drawn in dramatic plays of light and shadow, eyes bright, the only splash of vivid color upon that stark palette.  The sight so breathtaking, hers abandoned her.  She held herself still and left herself open, something she’d never been able to do with anyone but him.  She didn’t try to hide her vulnerability.  Or her longing.  And was rewarded by his quiet vow.

            “I’m not going anywhere, Charlotte.”

♥          ♥          ♥         ♥          ♥          ♥          ♥         ♥          ♥          ♥   

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Remembered By Moonlight Book Review

The return of Max Savoie - King of the Beasts
The Prophesied One

Title:  Remembered By Moonlight
Author:  Nancy Gideon
Series:  Moonlight, book #9
Release Date:  Oct. 13, 2014
Preorder:  Amazon

My Rating:  5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s

On October 13, 2014, with the release of Remembered By Moonlight, readers will have an opportunity to enjoy an intense, sexy, emotionally charged, hell-of-a-ride story enclosed within a sensuous, intriguing, swoon-worthy cover oozing sexuality & vulnerability - the very essence of the man, Max Savoie.  The King of the Beasts is back!

I've waited a very long time for this book featuring the return of Max & Cee Cee.  It was with great pleasure that I accepted the opportunity to beta read it. Remembered By Moonlight is an intriguing, intense,  sensuous, toe-licking, steamy story that earns every single one of the accolades & 5 ♥'s  it received from me, and then some!  As always, Max Savoie owns my heart.  Thank you, Nancy Gideon!  My only question now is what took you so long?!!  And when do we get Moonlight #10?! :)

Blurb:

               Because the road to . . .

Clever, cool and preternaturally lethal, Max Savoie is leader of a secretive shape-shifter clan, heir to a mobster’s legacy, and the love of New Orleans’ top cop . . . but he can’t remember any of them. The only way to recover his past, and his rightful place in the arms of the woman who risked all to save him, is to surrender to a mysterious visitor who could use him as a weapon against all he’d loved.

               Happily-Ever-After . . .

After rescuing her mate from his ruthless captors in the north, hard-hitting Detective Charlotte Caissie is now painfully vulnerable—a stranger in his eyes . . . and in their bed. The key to his memories is locked in a tortuous past. To reclaim the strength of their passionate bond, Max must learn to trust her enough to face that darkness at her side before the threat it hides exposes the secret Cee Cee carries.

               Is never smooth.

When an investigation into grisly deaths in an underground Shifter fight club points to more than just dangerous clan rivalries, Cee Cee enlists Max’s help to find a traitor in their midst while there’s still time to turn a deadly invading tide. But the cost of saving their treasured future may mean sacrificing his past. Especially when the enemy they pursue . . . might be Max, himself.
♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥         ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥        ♥

"Don't you trust my judgment, Cher?"
And then a wary reminder whispered to her, a warning in Max Savoie's own words as he lay strapped to the Chosen's table.
Don't trust me.

Those words, Don't trust me, were first spoken by Max Savoie in Seeker of Shadows, two books & almost 2 1/2 years ago...I've been living on prayers ever since.  Patiently waiting...only emailed the author once...twice...ok, a few times, but who's counting? (Don't listen to Nancy - it couldn't have been that many times!;)  The events that led up to those three words devastated me, and along with Cee Cee & other fans, I've been dying for a resolution, any indication that Max would return to normal.   I snatched up the next 2 books, Betrayed by Shadows & Prince of Shadows on release days - devoured them in one sitting & loved them both for the awesome reads they are, but the author still withheld the hea I was waiting for.  Now, at long last, Nancy has taken mercy on me & other fans by writing & releasing Moonlight #9 with Max & Charlotte back in the limelight. Do I hear an "Amen"?! H*ll Yeah!!

Remembered By Moonlight is an intense, emotionally charged story that continues the woes of Max and Cee Cee as they return to their high rise apartment, hoping that a familiar environment will help Max regain the memories he lost while held in captivity in The Chosen's lab.  While Cee Cee yearns to resume the life with the mate she knew before his memories were erased, Max views her as a stranger, and for the foreseeable future, his prison guard. She's been warned to go slow, not to push, or risk losing him forever.  They ease into a daily routine of two polite strangers, walking on eggshells around one another, while sleeping on opposite sides of the bed.  And yet, the chemistry sparks between them as memories tease Max, lingering just out of his reach, aroused by things like the scent of Voodoo Love that permeates the air & infiltrates his defenses when Cee Cee is near.  Nancy Gideon is a master at manipulating an emotionally charged atmosphere while building the sexual tension to a flame point between characters.  She sets the pages of Remembered By Moonlight afire with the desires that blaze between Max & Cee Cee as they rediscover each other and the life they lost with the erasure of Max's memories.  Can they move forward as mates & lovers?  Even if Max never regains his memories?  Max is resolved to finding the woman who stole his former life with the promise that she could/would return his memories, even if it means he must return to the lair of The Chosen in the north.  Who is this woman with the face of his mother?  Can he trust her?  

While Max & Cee Cee struggle with learning to live with each other again, dangerous elements are taking root in New Orleans.  Someone is selling high octane drugs to shifters, ramping up their rage & putting them on display for the whole world to see in an illegal shifter fight ring.  Cee Cee joins forces with Silas, Nica, Alain and, recruited from out west, Cale Terriot, going undercover on a mission to discover the identity of the head man of the organization.  Add the lethal power, wisdom, & preternaturally prowess of Max Savoie, and you have a force to be reckoned with.  But can they really trust Max?  Is he in control of his own actions, or is someone lurking inside his head, watching, listening.  Is he really an ally or could he be their biggest threat?

Hang on to your seat as the angst is high, the action swift, the romance sizzling hot! Remembered By Moonlight is like a family reunion with a who's who list of all your favorite characters from previous books joining forces.  But make no mistake about it - The big dog is back!  This is Max's story, unfolding as he rebuilds the life and memories stolen from him, doling out his own brand of punishment on those that dare threaten his city, clan, or loved ones - even though he doesn't remember them.    

Remembered By Moonlight is firing on all cylinders - it sizzles with love scenes that will have you seeking a cold shower, fast-paced action that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and an ending that will leave you sighing, smiling while wiping a tear, and asking the same thing I did - Nancy, how long until the next one?!  Moonlight fans - You will love this book! Fans of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, suspense, and romance, this is a Must Read!  A Page Burner! 

Rating:  5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s & then 5 more!  And that's the truth...

Cross My Heart...xxx
Sandra

*There are a multitude of post-worthy quotes in Remembered...This is only a sample!
Quotes:

"I'm sorry.  I'm breaking the rules.  I forgot we were strangers."  She turned to her dresser to snatch up those things that represented her:  shield, cell, holster and gun, all the while saying,  "Consider yourself off the leash, Savoie.  You're capable of handling your own affairs.  I'll stick to mine.  If you'll excuse me, I've got a report to file."
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What was she going to do if she couldn't break through that barrier between them?  How was she going to live her life if, instead of going back to what they'd had, he rebuilt his world without her?
♥        ♥          ♥          ♥           ♥           ♥

Time was running out.  Some elements of the past would soon be apparent.  Whether Max was ready to face them or not.
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Her throat clutched as she recalled the first time she'd seen him there when the building was still a metal skeleton, toeing the edge of the beam, his dark coat billowing behind him like the wings of a fallen angel.  His pose was no less dramatic now, sleek, dark and solitary as he stared out into the night.
♥          ♥          ♥          ♥           ♥           ♥

"What are you, Detective?  What makes you different?"  What makes you dangerous to me? was tacitly implied.
"I'm like you.  I'm more."
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My warrior woman.  Max smiled at that encapsulation of who and what she was as he let his eyes close and simply enjoyed the sense of belonging to someplace, to someone.  And as he drifted off into a deep and untroubled sleep, one certainty lingered.  He'd been wrong before.  Here in his arms was the key to everything.
♥          ♥          ♥          ♥          ♥           ♥

"Am I having an affair with a stripper that I should know about?"
Giles laughed, finding his question quite hilarious, and herded him to the car.
"You'd best ask Charlotte."
♥          ♥          ♥          ♥          ♥          ♥

"Let's make this a slow ride, shall we?"
The deep purr of her voice brought a sassy grin to his face.  The long slant of his eyes grew languid.  "You have the reins, cher.  You can whip me with them if you like."
♥          ♥           ♥          ♥          ♥          ♥

"We've said our share of interesting good-byes in this driveway, Savoie.  The only thing I anticipate more is the hellos."
♥          ♥          ♥          ♥           ♥          ♥

His hand nocked beneath her chin to keep her parted lips available, whispering against them, "I feel as though I've loved you forever."
Her soul shuddered.  "I feel the same, Savoie."
"Good."
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"I need something from you."
"Oh, baby, I don't believe there's anything you couldn't have for the asking."
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"Detective, any warm-blooded male with a pulse would have his hand on your glorious ass.  May I?"
"Knock yourself out."
His fingertips sketched over that tight sheen of Lycra before cupping a taut globe for a squeeze.  "What kind of workout do you do to get that kind of muscle tone?"
She put her face up close to his.  "I beat the shit outta guys who grab my ass."
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He leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Is there any other tension I can relieve for you, cher?  I am willing and most certainly able."
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"I'm yours, Savoie.  I always have been.  Take me, claim me.  Know again in your heart and mind that we're one in all things."
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"Have I told you that you are my every dream?"
Her eyes shimmered.  Her voice went smoky with emotion.  "Not recently."
His lips brushed softly over the new mark he'd layered over the old.  "I want to build upon this moment, Charlotte.  I want what we have between us now to be enough."
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"You rock my world, Savoie."
"You are my world, Detective."
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"Are you trying to back out, Savoie?"
His smile spread slow and sizzled.  "Wouldn't dream of it, Detective.  This is New Orleans, sha.  How long could it take to throw a party?"