Riding with Lucifer - a romance novel in the making

She stood outside the door; thinking about knocking. It had taken all the strength she had in her to come to the door, but she still hadn’t gathered the strength to actually knock. She wanted, so desperately to knock and tell him how she felt but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Just as she was about to turn and go, she gained an ounce of strength, turned and knocked. Once. Hard.

The door opened and the look on his face said it all. A mix of surprise, desire and confusion. He couldn’t believe she was outside his door, standing there, at 10pm at night.

She didn’t wait for him to say a word, to ask her in, or why she was there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She kissed him like she never would again.

He took a step back, her arms still around his neck and pulled her into the room. He shut the door behind her and pressed her up against it. They stayed locked together, enjoying the softness of each touch and the sweetness of each kiss.
She stopped kissing him and pulled away. He looked at her with a questioning gaze, wondering what made her stop. He didn’t have time to wonder long as she grabbed his hand and headed to the bedroom. One of the benefits of selling him this house meant she knew every inch of it.

They reached the bedroom and she fell back onto the bed, pulling him down with her. He covered her mouth with his and felt the desire continue to build. He no longer cared what made her decide to come, just that she did. And she was here, and under him. He could feel her heart racing and wanted to feel her against him.

She grabbed at the hem of his shirt and pulled it upwards. He allowed himself to raise his arms and helped her to pull the shirt over his head. Seeing his body in the pale light of the room, she sucked in her breath. He was even more beautiful than she remembered.

to read the continued post (it continues with one I wrote a while ago) click here…

Looking out the airplane window, Jackson watched the city drop from view. He took a deep breath, as flying always made him a little nervous, and leaned back into his chair. He closed his eyes and tried to get himself to relax. His mind drifted back to the last time he had been in Texas, 9 years ago, and how he felt like he would never love a place like he loved Rakesford. It had been his home for 18 years, and he had loved every detail about it. When he left, he thought he would go back and visit as often as he could. But he never did.
It hadn’t been easy to get adjusted in the beginning, but much to his surprise, he had fallen in love with the big city life, where he was always busy, always with something to do. He got so involved at UCLA with school and extracurricular, that it just never seemed right to go home. Plus, his parents loved to travel so they had no problem coming to visit him, and usually did about every six months. His friends and he spent weekends traveling the coast, from Santa Barbara to San Diego and during the week they were either on the lawn playing soccer or in class. He worked hard and in 4 years, he had his degree in Business Marketing. When he graduated, he was offered a position with Modern Vision, one of the top marketing and ad agencies based in Los Angeles. He was a started as a junior copywriter and worked his way up to Vice President in just 5 years. Which was the reason he was sitting on an airplane flying to Texas. Jackson’s boss had been so proud of the work that he had done in Los Angeles, that his boss asked him to open their new office in Austin, Texas. The company had already expanded to Chicago, Manhattan and Miami, so the southwest was the next place to go. He had hesitation as he had built a life for himself in LA, and didn’t know if he was ready to go back to the heat, humidity and small town lifestyle. Although Austin was a big city, similar to LA, he knew his parents would want him to live in his home town again, as it was only 20 minutes away. It would be difficult to say no, as he did miss his horse, Stone, and he could never say no to his mom. She was the toughest and sweetest woman he knew. About 6 years ago, doctors discovered ovarian cancer, but after a year of treatment, she was cleared. She fought it and survived. She had been healthy for 5 years now and the experience had made her a stronger woman, and Jackson looked up to her for her strength.
The other reason he had hesitated saying yes was because of Leslie. In his sophomore year he had met what was to become his first love. Her name was Leslie Banning and thinking about her now made his heart hurt. The instant they met, he was attracted to her, much like the rest of his friends. She was blonde, tall, bubbly and beautiful. She was also smart and funny, but had been born with a platinum spoon in her mouth, and every once in a while, it was made very apparent. They had immediately become best friends, studying, partying and enjoying life together, but never as more than friends. It took 2 years and his graduation for them to finally take that step towards a relationship. During the planning of their graduation party he finally admitted he wanted to date her. Their 5 year relationship had its ups and downs, but they fell in love and made it work. When he was offered the job to go to Texas, he had to take a long hard look at his relationship and decide if he was ready to ask her to come with him. Asking her to come with him would mean that he was ready to settle down, and as much as he loved her, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to make it forever. When he told Leslie he was struggling with his decisions, she made it easy, telling him that without a proposal, she wasn’t going. Giving him the ultimatum made his decision easy, as he was never one to be told how things were going to be. Despite the fact that it was his decision to end their relationship, it still wasn’t easy to say goodbye.

Ok, so it’s been 4 hours, hundreds of songs on my zune, a couple dr. pepper’s and pieces of dark chocolate later…but it’s done!! my book mind map is finished! i know where every character is going and how they are going to get there. I am soooo excited to see that I am really ready to get writing…now the hard part…trying to type as fast as the words are flowing through my head. I am now starting work on chapter 2. I will have at least the introduction of Jackson and a little about his history as he is on his way to Texas, done by the end of this weekend.

So, I meant to write a couple of separate scenes this week (i have the ideas in my head…really!) but it has been a bit of a crazy week (and I was just kind of lazy too). Tomorrow I am planning on getting the rest of the book mapped out as well as posting the couple separate scenes that I dreamed up. I have also come up with a new idea for the cover as well! Anyway, I am off to get drinks with 2 of my girlfriends I haven’t seen in forever. Stay tuned…after this weekend there will be a bunch to read!

Hey all!!

Hope your weekend was great! We were so busy, but it was fabulous. We went out Friday night to the bar to watch the NCAA games. We drank way too much and played shuffleboard and then Saturday we actually got to go to a couple of the games in Anaheim. This is us at the games before the Stanford/Marquette game!

The Stanford Tree is f*ing hysterical dancing, btw. We could not stop laughing watching him! After the games, we went out for one of our friends bdays and i kicked butt at air hockey! oh yeah, even beat the guys!!

On Sunday, we spent the day with both families. In the morning, we were at Steve’s parents place, doing a $$ easter egg hunt…so much fun! Then we headed to my parents and I died my hair red!

So, this week’s posts are going to be just some separate scene ideas that I have. I need to get more outlined before I can continue writing by chapters. I feel like if i don’t get everything outlined, I will lose track of where I am going. I have it about 70% finished, so it shouldn’t take me more than a few hours (i hope!) Then, this weekend I am going to sit down and lock myself away for a couple of hours to get the outline done (i’m sure this will include blaring music, a bottle of wine and some really good munchies). If you have any ideas of where the characters seem like they might head or what you would like to see, let me know. I will be taking a look at all comments this weekend. I am getting great feedback, so thanks to everyone who has left me their thoughts (and the one of you that quoted lines to me! lol) It is so exciting for me to see this dream starting to come to fruition. I have been dreaming for years that I would be able to get this book up and running and I can’t believe that I really have the prologue and chapter 1 basically finished. It’s nerve wracking but so exhilerating!! Anyway, headed to our friends for dinner and movie night!

<3 KW

“Ok, Alex, I know that you don’t think he’ll remember you, but I guarantee that he will. Who could ever forget you?” Valerie smiled, and stood up from the table. “I’m getting you another drink. If you’re going to be getting depressed about the whole thing, you might as well get drunk at the same time.

6 hours later, the girls were laughing hysterically, 4 empty beer glasses and a couple empty shot glasses in front of each of them.

Alexis laughed. “I guess we should probably get out of here. I can’t believe we’ve been talking for so long!”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Valerie looked around the bar. It was only about 11pm, so the bar was still packed, “I can’t believe we drank so much!”

They both stood up from their table and hooked arms. They were swaying and giggling the whole way to the street. Alexis waved goodbye to Valerie, hopped into a cab waiting outside and headed home. It was time for sleep.

…and that is the end of Chapter 1. Get ready to learn more about Jackson in Chapter 2!

“Ok, so we have two options: one, you can keep avoiding the topic and I will tell you more about the boring details you already know of my life. Or two, we can get this Jackson talk underway.” Valerie smiled, knowing that if she just called Alex out, she might get somewhere.

“Whatever Val, I guess we can start”, Alex lightly shoved her friend and laughed. “Ok, so all I really know is that he is coming back in town in the beginning of April, so a couple weeks?” She paused to count, “Yeah, like 10 days.”

“Ok, well then we have 10 days to brainstorm how to make sure that you are at the front of his attention when he does get back. You know that the minute he sees you, he’s going to want you. How can he resist?” Valerie raised her eyebrow and grinned, her signature ‘trouble’ smile.

“Yeah, right. More than likely he won’t even recognize me. Even if he does, the last time we talked was 7 years ago, we probably have nothing in common now!” Alex hoped this wasn’t true, as she could still remember everything about him. She could remember how he looked when he rode his horse, how his eyes lit up when he smiled and the deep drawl of his voice.

There will be no post tonight, as I am getting tipsy and celebrating a fabulous holiday. We are all Irish tonight!

Updates coming tomorrow…i have some great new inspiration, just waiting to hit paper!

“Don’t worry, hun, I already ordered it”. Just as Val finished her sentence, their server sidled up next to them and placed a frosty mug in front of Alex. “See, I told you!”

“Thanks Val and thanks,” she paused to read the girls nametag, “Jessie”. She was a stereotypical female ‘Long Ride’ bartender. Pretty, petite, bubbly and attention grabbing. The male bartenders weren’t much different. They were all attractive, muscular and could hold attention for hours. When Valerie had taken over the management of the bar, that was one of the first things she focused on, she wanted to make sure that the men and women that visited the bar had equal amounts of eye candy in the servers. People love going to drink; they love to drink even more when sexy bartenders are serving.

The first sip helped calm her stress levels instantly. It was bound to be a long night. “Ok, so what’s new with you”, Alex asked Val, hoping to avoid the J word for as long as possible. She knew they would have to talk about him, and that the conversation was bound to be intense, but it didn’t need to start yet.

Valerie giggled, “Avoiding something are we? Ok, well I guess I can give you a break for a bit. Everything’s doing well. As you can see, the bar is packed and you know as well as I do, that it’s like this almost every night”, she glanced around the bar to prove her point. “I just went on another date with that guy Matthew, that I met the other week at the grocery store” She paused to see if Alex remembered hearing about him.

Alex nodded, “yeah, I remember you telling me about him. I thought he was kind of boring though?”

“Oh he is! But he has great taste and took me out into Austin to that great new steak house that just opened. I really wanted to go, so I said yes, but I won’t be going again”, Valerie smiled. She knew it drove Alex crazy that she would go out for dinner with someone she wasn’t interested in, just because the place sounded good. At the end of the day, Valerie didn’t feel like she was using the guys, she felt like she just giving them what they wanted. If they were willing to pay for great dinners, she didn’t mind being the object of affection.

“Oh Val, you crack me up. Does he know that you only agreed because of the restaurant?” Alex laughed, sometimes she wished she could be as carefree with men as Valerie was, but she’d never tell her that.

“Of course not, Alex! I would never crush his ego like that. I want him to think I went for him. I’ll just make up some excuse for why I can’t date him again. Just because I go for the food, not the guy, doesn’t mean that I am not a fun, entertaining and sweet date”.

“Ok, ok, fair enough Val. I just was checking. I would hate for these guys to leave with hurt feelings and an emptier wallet”. She finished laughing just as their server Jessie walked back over with a couple of shots in hand.

“Sorry to interrupt girls, but these are from the guys up at the bar. I guess they thought you were to intent on your conversation and needed a drink. Either that, or they were just hoping to get your attention”. At that, all three girls laughed. The bartenders knew as much as the girls did about getting hit on. It was a common occurrence at ‘The Long Ride’.

“Thanks Jessie, I guess we better tell them thanks too.” Valerie waved at the guys and mouthed ‘Thanks’. She turned back to Alex, “Bottoms up!” They both took the shots and it sent shivers down Alex’ spine.

“Ugh, tequila! This stuff is brutal.” She made a face at Valerie, “it’s your fault, if it had just been me, I would have sent the shots back!”

“Yeah, Alex, I know. Which is why I made you drink it. The only way I’m going to get you to be honest about the whole Jackson situation is if you get your tongue a little loosened.”

“Fine, whatever, I guess you’re right.” Alex could feel the heat of the tequila rising up, she was already feeling more relaxed.

As the music continued its rhythmic seduction, the rest of their group seemed to fade to the background. Even with her back to him, she could feel the heat of his gaze. She didn’t dare step back into him closer, she didn’t need to feel the heat of his body against her too. As if reading her mind, he placed his hand on her curved hip and they swayed to the music. She turned her head to look at him and for a moment, their eyes locked. The electricity that shot through her was more powerful than she as prepared for. She turned her head back, knowing if she kept his gaze she would lose all control.

His mind was racing, she had captured his attention and adoration. But, in this moment, she was capturing his desire more than any woman had previously been able to do. When she turned to look at him, it had taken all his strength not to kiss her luscious lips. He wanted to feel her kiss, feel her yield to his power. When she turned her head back he felt her hair brush past his face. her hair tempted and teased him, moving as she did. He wanted to run his hands through her locks, see her smile up at him as he made her his.

His thought process was interrupted as she turned to face him. Dancing with her back had been difficult enough, but to look at her beautiful face, watch every inch of her body moving as she danced was pure torture. He could control his desire no further and grazed his lips over hers.

As his lips touched hers, she felt a rush of sexual energy that floored her. She was too stunned to even kiss him back. When he looked at her, he could see the surprise in her eyes. he didn’t know what to think, whether she was in a pleased silence or a stunned shock. His question was answered as she leaned up and he could feel her breath in his ear.

“If you’re willing to try that again, i promise to make it worth it”. That was all he needed to know. He grabbed her hand and led her off the dance floor.

“Follow me, I’d rather be away from prying eyes”. He could barely speak for the desire building. They wound their way through the crowd and out into the cool night air. Outside of ‘The Long Ride’ was empty, as everyone was still inside drinking and dancing.

They took a few steps down the sidewalk and he paused. In one step he had her wrapped into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. This time she responded, kissing him back with all the intensity she could muster. She felt his strength, his mouth, his heat and had there not been a wall behind her, she might not have been able to stand. They stayed locked in embrace as he explored her mouth with his. Nibbling on her lower lip he could feel her moan into his mouth. All he could think about was making her feel his desire through this kiss. He ran his hands up her back and buried them into her curls, pulling her even closer against him. He could feel the tightening of his jeans and knew she could too. The fire between them had become a raging inferno with an endless supply of open terrain.

He pulled away and looked into her green eyes. Her face had become flushed with desire. He smiled ant her and she responded by pulling his mouth back to hers, wanting to feel his lips on her again. She had wanted him so long and to have him here, open arms, needing her too, was a moment she wasn’t ready to give up. As their passion continued to build,they dropped from reality. All that existed was the two of them, joined in lip-lock, desperate to get the most from each other.

Their bubble was broken as the noises of the bar patrons spilling onto the sidewalk reached their ears. Closing time. Rather than risk the gossip, they grabbed hands and ran like teenagers away from the bar. The moment they were out of sight of the neon sign, he had her again, against the wall, hands in her hair, lips against the soft flesh of her neck. She responded with wanton desire, turning her head to allow him better access.

He loved the smell, the feel and the taste of her. She made him feel alive and powerful holding her in his arms. AS he slid his kisses up the curve of her neck and behind her ear, he becam lost in her womanly scent. Sweet from her perfume, salty from the heat of dancing and something all her own, a scent he would never forget after tonight. He kissed the soft flesh behind his ear and then back to her mouth.

She ran her hands down his back and into his back pockets. She felt his firm muscles and pulled him to her, loving the heat radiating between them. It was only after he had stopped covering her neck and mouth in passionate kisses that she was able to regain herself and remember they were still outside. Still downtown. And still close enough to be found.