Welcome
to this week’s Book Hooks blog hop. My hook today is from my
paranormal romance Rough
Weather. I
love this book, partly because it’s set in Martha’s Vineyard –
one of my favorite places in the world.
Enjoy!
Destiny
hides in the tempest’s heart
Ondine
has always felt at home in the sea. Orphaned at birth and raised by
her grandmother on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, she has never
really questioned her extraordinary affinity for the watery world.
She concentrates on her work as a marine biologist, spends her
weekends relaxing among the waves and worries about human threats to
her beloved ocean environment. Fears of a deadly pregnancy like her
mother’s make her cautious about sex.
When
she encounters an attractive but arrogant engineer on her private
beach, surveying the site for a prospective off-shore wind farm,
anger is her first reaction. A casual touch, however, transforms that
emotion to incomprehensible, irresistible, terrifying lust.
Ebony-skinned
Marut has his own talents—aside from his uncanny ability to swamp
Ondine with desire. He can control the winds and summon storms. He
informs Ondine that they share a supernatural heritage and claims she
is his destined mate. She responds with scepticism and tries to
resist the charismatic Haitian, but ultimately her scientist’s
training won’t permit her to deny the evidence of her senses—and
her heart. As a brutal northeaster batters the island and Marut’s
life hangs in the balance, Ondine learns that true power lies in
surrender to her elemental nature.
The
Hook
A
high-pitched whine drew her attention to the tumbled boulders that
marked the eastern extent of the beach. Atop the pile of rock
crouched a dark-skinned man, boring into the surface with some kind
of drill.
“Hey!
What are you doing?” Ondine strode towards the interloper, still
holding her discarded clothing. “That noise—you’ll disturb the
fish!” She halted on the sand below his perch, one hand shielding
her eyes from the glare. “Stop that this instant!”
The
stranger raised his head and fixed her with eyes like polished jet,
set in a proud face almost as black. A cloud of wiry hair haloed his
skull. He flipped a switch and the irritating noise died. His full
lips parted in a confident smile, revealing even, pearly teeth. He
rose to his full height—at least six feet, she guessed, though her
position made him look even taller—and gazed down at her.
Self-consciousness
blasted through her as she suddenly remembered she was naked. Hot
blood raced to her face while her nipples tightened into ruddy peaks,
and an echo of her recent climax shimmered in her still-damp pussy.
The
stranger looked distinctly amused, as though he sensed the physical
effects his presence triggered. There was something else, too, an
unnerving sense of familiarity, although Ondine was certain she’d
never met this man before.
She
squared her shoulders, ignoring her embarrassment as best she could.
She wasn’t ashamed of her body—far from it. “You can’t drill
here. Tide pool habitats are very sensitive. The vibrations could
kill crustacean larvae, for a start, and confuse organisms that rely
on echolocation…”
The
black man’s grin grew broader. He scanned her nude figure with
deliberate and obvious interest before he answered. Ondine’s
nipples ached under his scrutiny, even as her blood boiled at his
brazen attitude.
“I
have a permit.” His voice had an unexpected softness, with a faint
hint of the Caribbean. He rifled in the pocket of his tight jeans and
pulled out a sheet of paper, which he offered her. “Mass DEP. Go
ahead and check. I think you’ll find it’s all in order.”
The
sun beat down, hotter than ever. Sweat gathered under her arms and at
the back of her neck. Ignoring the proffered permit, she planted her
fists on her hips and summoned every ounce of authority she could
muster.
“This
beach is private, reserved for Katama residents. What’s your
business here?”
Stuffing
the permit back into his pants, he sank into a crouch to pick up a
piece of equipment that he’d propped against a rock, next to a
two-meter steel pole. His thigh muscles flexed against taut denim as
he rose. His white T-shirt emphasised his ebony skin, sculpted
pectorals and massive biceps—her mouth felt dry and her pussy, wet.
“I’m installing a temporary meteo-hydrographic monitoring
station.” The device bristled with lenses, buttons and dials, the
pinwheel of an anemometer, and the tongue-like extrusion of a rain
gauge. “Come on up. Take a look.”
“Just
a minute.” She stepped into her shorts, then pulled her shirt over
her head, trying to ignore the sensation of fleece brushing across
her naked breasts. In her bare feet, she clambered up over the
knobby, rust-coloured stone until she stood beside him. He towered
over her. She caught a whiff of sandalwood and coconut oil and was
washed by sudden desire.
He
pointed to a white plastic rectangle. “This is the hygrometer, the
humidity sensor.”
“Yes,
yes, I understand. You’ve got a laser ceilometer for cloud height,
I see, and an infrared camera for thermal imaging…”
“What…?”
She
found his surprise gratifying, as he realised she wasn’t just a
naked, blonde beach bunny.
Buy
Links (only 99 cents!)
Totally
Bound - https://www.totallybound.com/book/rough-weather
I
hope you’ll drop by to visit the other authors participating in
today’s Book Hooks!
7 comments:
naked beach blonde bunny has a brain :-)
Tweeted.
Great cover and the naked blonde sounds fascinating
Had to laugh at his surprise that she knew what she was talking about!
Considering his introduction to her, he could be forgiven for assuming her to have more hair than wit. Nice to see that he gets a quick update as to the nature of his opponent.
I remember this one. It's the first book of yours I read.
Seems like a sweet little adventure is about to take place. An interesting piece, well done.
How have I never heard of this book? Thanks for sharing. One of my sons has his masters in hydrogeology. He was my hippie-child, who ditched so much high school he was in class more on Saturdays (ultimate detention)than on weekdays. So nice to see the heroine be smart too!
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