Sex,
Love, and Aliens
Volume
1
This
anthology includes stories by
Imogene
Nix, Ashlynn Monroe,
Jaye
Shields, and Beth D. Carter
Genre:
Science Fiction/Futuristic Romance
Publisher:
Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Date
of Publication: October 20, 2014
ISBN:
9781940744490
ASIN:
Number
of pages: 197
Word
Count: 70,000
Cover
Artist: Fantasia Frog Designs
Book
Description:
TANGLED
WEBS by Imogene Nix
In
the course of a single day Gia Montgomery loses her job and discovers
that her boyfriend—now ex-boyfriend—is a two-timing sleaze. After
downing a bottle of wine, she catches sight of Cedun in her backyard.
He’s the Ba’Tua heir who has been living on Earth for several
years. Gia struggles to ignore the strong attraction between them,
because she’s sure he’s seeing someone else. Someone very close
to her, in fact.
When
the situation with her ex turns nasty, Cedun finally has a chance to
set things straight between himself and Gia, but nothing is as simple
as it seems. Cedun must protect Gia and sort out an impossible
love-life tangle before it’s too late.
Content
Warning: this title contains sexy aliens and feisty heroines,
together with enough action—of every kind—to keep readers on the
edge of their seats
THE
SPACESHIP CAPTAIN’S Wife by Ashlynn Monroe
Some
treasures are the hardest to see.
On
a dying planet, treasure waits for an honorable man to claim it.
Captain Ric Julius believes the cargo of gems is what he’s come
for, but there is one jewel he never expected. Her name is Kateri,
and she changes everything.
Saving
the woman’s life, and making a fortune in the process, requires
only one thing of Ric—his freedom. In order to obtain the gems he
has to agree to take Kateri to safety…and to make her his wife.
Every man has a price, but is Ric willing to pay in full on a debt he
owes to a dead man on a decomposing world?
Content
Warning: contains sensual sex scenes
HIS
HUMAN by Jaye Shields
Can
a human clone trained to kill also learn to love?
Elara
Roberts is the captain of a space shuttle sent to retrieve a group of
cloned soldiers from the planet US-2. As soon as she lands, the
shuttle is overtaken and all of her men killed.
Svarog
aka Rogue, is the leader of a rebel group of clones who desire
freedom. He’s been trained his entire life for one thing—to kill.
But when he lays eyes on Elara, the only woman he’s ever seen, his
first instinct is to love. Taking her for himself, his new mission
becomes exploring the body of the creature, and punishing any other
clone male who dares come close.
Elara
witnessed how easily Rogue killed her men and fears she is next. But
instead, the beast seems curious and more lustful than anything else.
Her best survival strategy is to play along. But when she gets a
chance to escape she realizes she may not be ready to leave Rogue
behind.
Content
Warning: this story includes a deadly, devastatingly sexy clone who
isn’t above foul language and dirty sex
GRAVITATION
by Beth D. Carter
Can
Bree and Niah’s love overcome their species being at war with one
another?
Bree
has spent her whole life hiding from the aliens who destroyed what
was once Earth. When she stumbles across a wounded alien, common
sense tells her to kill him before he can kill her, but her
compassionate side refuses to obey. Instead, she helps him.
The
two forge a temporary truce when they’re forced to band together
for protection. But as the days slip by, the alien Niah won’t leave
her, and as friendship gives way to something more, she can’t help
but wonder when, or if, them being on opposite sides will break the
fragile bonds of love forming between them.
Content
Warning: contains sexual content, strong language, and some violence
Get
it now for just .99
TANGLED
WEBS EXCERPT:
Turning
away from her position, Gia caught sight of movement from the corner
of her eye. This time she looked out the window and in her garden was
a Ba’Tua male.
“Holy
hell, what’s he doing here?”
Gia
headed for the door just as Cedun was removing his Montgomery
Industries t-shirt by the side of the pool. Her mind was sluggish and
her coordination impaired, and she slammed into the edge of the door
as she scurried through it.
“Shit!”
The curse escaped her mouth as she kept moving, her hand rubbing the
injured section of her side. “Cedun, what the hell are you doing in
my backyard?” In her haste, she didn’t see the hose on the deck
and tripped.
She
did notice the bright violet of his eyes—wide and startled—and
the bronzed rippling muscles as she cartwheeled, flailing for
something to grab onto, then she was falling backward. It’s all so
slow! A thunk sound married with the explosion of pain in her head.
The
water closed around her and invaded her mouth and lungs. Her chest
burned as the water weighed her down. Just as it all seemed too much,
strong, vise-like arms slid around her middle, hauling her up to the
surface.
“Do
not struggle, Gia. Let me help you.” He did, hauling her out of the
pool and laying her flat on the concrete.
Then
he rolled her over as she hacked and coughed. Water gushed from her
mouth and nose, and she moaned once the indignity was over.
“Now,
De’ Gia, tell me why you ran out of the house and threw yourself
into the pool. De’ Valerie told me that you had been removed from
your post. It cannot be that which is distressing?”
“Job,”
she corrected, quietly hoping to stop his liquid voice. Her head and
chest ached viciously, and all she wanted was bed. “I want to go to
bed.”
Cedun
stilled. “Is that not precipitous?” A smiled crept over his face,
and it turned her insides to molten lava.
Clarity
speared her. Their grasp of the English language was literal. She
said she wanted to go to bed and was speaking to him, ergo, he
thought sex. Horror filled her.
Cedun
was probably the most relaxed and least repressed of all the Ba’Tua
she’d met. Gia also suspected he’d been involved with Valerie for
some time. After all, Valerie was still young at forty-two.
Gia
groped for his t-shirt, meaning to push him away. The realization of
being so close to Cedun’s muscular and unclothed chest flooded her
as her hands made contact with hard and well-formed naked flesh. He’d
removed that covering before her fall into the pool. Heat flared
beneath her fingers as her heart rate sped up. “Cedun, I didn’t
mean…”
He
chuckled. “I laugh with you, De’ Gia.”
She
struggled to free herself. “Go laugh with someone else.”
THE
SPACESHIP CAPTAIN’S WIFE EXCERPT:
Why
am I doing this to myself? Damn, if I didn’t need the money… But
he did.
As
the girl came to kneel beside her father, Ric realized he’d rather
face a laser pistol-wielding hijacker than this woman. The
traditional charado robe that consisted of many layers of light,
sheer fabric did nothing to hide the outline of her body. His mouth
went dry and sweat stung his eyes.
The
older woman offered him a light meal of native Darooian nuts and
fruit. Ric shook his head. He didn’t want to risk polluting himself
with radiated food. But this transaction was too important for him to
offend them.
“Forgive
me, I am far too full of…of joy to eat,” Ric said.
Marit’s
woman gazed at him for a moment. Her shrewd eyes narrowed with doubt,
but she nodded and pulled the offered tray away.
The
kneeling girl was so still he couldn’t even tell if she was
breathing. His host was watching the silent female with an
unfathomable sorrow. Then he turned to study Ric without speaking for
a drawn out length of anxiety-filled time. Ric fidgeted nervously.
Oh
damn, I hope I haven’t blown this. I’ll lose the ship without
this deal. Ric tried to hide his worry from the other man by keeping
his face expressionless.
“We
only eat food that arrives in bio locked containers. Our offering is
safe. Kateri has not left this house since she was a girl of ten. She
has spent half her life hiding from death, it’s long past time she
was allowed to live,” said Marit in the gentle tone. There was no
anger or censor on his face, just sadness.
The
quiet girl flinched. The movement was subtle, but Ric was used to
watching for the slightest tells during negotiations. The girl’s
posture stiffened.
So
she was twenty. He relaxed a bit. She was a decade younger than he
was, but at least she wasn’t some underage child.
Embarrassed,
Ric looked away. “Forgive me,” he said, unsure if he was
apologizing for the planet’s destruction or his behavior.
“You
have nothing to apologize for. Caution is an admirable trait.
Integrity is another thing I respect. She will make a good wife…”
Marit
paused as a string of quickly spoken Dar, their language, interrupted
him. Her outraged voice drifted up from under the veils and proved
she had a bit of spirit.
The
older man’s fatherly tone ebbed between anger and softness. Ric
only caught a few words, but he was almost positive the girl hadn’t
known she was part of the conditions for this export.
When
she was silent, Ric could see her shaking. The strangest urge to
comfort her came over him, but he shoved it away. Perhaps it was the
camaraderie of being tricked, but the protectiveness her reaction
stirred in him didn’t go away.
She
muttered something, and he fought to suppress his grin. He had the
most inappropriate urge to peek under her veil and see her
expression. Was she seething with rage, or was she pouting? He wanted
to know. The veil tormented his naturally overactive Metrician
curiosity.
“Kateri
is a good girl, dutiful. She is…uncomfortable leaving her family
behind,” said the anxious man democratically.
Ric
cleared his throat awkwardly. He could respect the answer. If he
truly cared about anyone, he wouldn’t want to leave them to die
either. A planet hadn’t died since the days of old Earth. Pain
squeezed his heart in a metaphoric vise. Guilt. His people treated
their world like it was garbage, and yet Metricia would live on long
after Daroo was space dust.
“Don’t
look so dour, Captain Aydric Julius. We will die with our gods, but
our daughter will live on for us and remember our names. Saving her
life is worth risking my soul,” Marit said quietly. “She is the
most precious gem in your cargo.”
Ric
nodded. No one had ever loved him as this man loved his daughter. It
was astounding and humbling to be entrusted with her life. He’d
never wanted such a responsibility thrust on him, but now that it
was, he couldn’t turn them down.
Is
she willing to marry a stranger? What am I getting myself into?
Ric
could tell the girl was looking at him. He wanted to talk to her and
make sure she was willing. He didn’t believe in much, but his honor
mattered to him.
HIS
HUMAN EXCERPT:
“Why
do you want to go to Earth so bad?” Elara asked.
Rogue
didn’t answer readily, instead, he appraised her, his gaze
lingering on her sweat-soaked blouse. “You haven’t been here
long, woman, but surely long enough to see this planet rivals the
hell that the humans make us read about. It’s dry here, hot enough
to melt the skin right off your body during certain seasons. Those
tunnels you saw dotting the landscape, those were burrowed by one of
US-2’s many creatures. Leave my side, and they’ll snatch you up
and swallow you whole. It’d probably be an easier death than you
deserve.”
“Excuse
me?” Elara glared at him. “Did you keep me alive to insult me to
death?”
“Why
would you sign up to take men as slaves, take them to a war they
can’t even understand?”
“I’m
not the bad guy here!” Her voice echoed through the cave, the sound
suddenly making her feel more brave.
“Neither
am I. Unless I’m crossed.” He stood, still nude, his well-muscled
body towering over her. “Now that you’re my captive, perhaps you
can appreciate what we are fighting for. Freedom.” With that, the
clone walked away from her. She glanced away, trying to avoid looking
at the well-carved butt cheeks as the massive soldier walked away. He
had a perfect body. The kind of body that was built to kill.
Elara’s
mind spun. Yet he’d protected her from
those men.
But
if he was going to kill her, why didn’t he just leave her to those
men?
Finally
alone, the terror of the day washed over her. . Tears leaked down her cheeks, quickly
dried by the intense heat on US-2.
Just
as soon as he’d left, Rogue returned. His strong hand pulled her
out of the fetal position to face him. When he saw her tears, he
sneered in disgust. “I’m leaving to retrieve rations. Don’t try
to escape.”
Hope
bloomed within her. Of course she’d try to escape. Was this clone
daft? She just never thought she’d be left alone to try.
Elara
thought back to the initial attack on the space shuttle. The interior
had sustained damage, but clearly the clones had been careful,
obviously planning to try to take it to Earth themselves.
Rogue
pulled on his military cargo shorts, not bothering with a shirt. He
pulled a sachet of lotion out of his pocket and slathered it over his
hard chest and chiseled stomach. It was a body meant to punish.
She
barely heard Rogue’s final warning before he departed. Something
about danger. Duh. Elara may have been surrounded by a planet of
rebel clones, but she was a military captain, specially chosen for
this very mission. Her femme fatale Plan A had failed, but now she
had no other choice but to try to ass kick her way off this planet.
She was sure as dead anyway, might as well die trying.
GRAVITATION
EXCERPT:
Niah’s
leg must be healing nicely if he was able to move around to her side
of the cold fire pit. She should be feeling fear because now he could
easily overpower her. Kill her. Only he did neither. He just laid
there with his hand on her hip and his eyes staring deeply into her
own.
This
was wrong. So horribly wrong.
And
yet…it didn’t feel wrong.
And
that scared her more than anything.
“Shh,”
he whispered, and his hand ran soothing circles across her hip bone.
Bree
closed her eyes because she couldn’t stand looking at him anymore,
couldn’t face the attraction she was developing. And somehow she
must have fallen asleep because the next time she opened her eyes it
was daylight.
She
sat up quickly, looking around. Niah was gone. His leg splints were
in a nice pile, the only testament that he’d been there. She
ignored the stab of pain that pierced through her and told herself it
was better this way. He had gone back to his people, to where he came
from. It was time she went to where she belonged.
As
she gathered her things and slipped her backpack over her shoulders,
she thought about when she asked him to save one life as a thank you.
Well, it seemed like he’d done just that.
He’d
spared hers.
About
the Authors
IMOGENE
NIX
Imogene
is a mother of two, compulsive reader, and bookstore owner. She lives
in regional Queensland, Australia with her husband, two daughters,
dog, cats, guinea pigs, and chooks. She has a particular fondness for
vampires, star ship captains, and things that go bump in the night
(especially vampire types).
Imogene
has tried many varied roles in her working life including
kindergarten assistant, teacher, principal, and kindergarten and
child care director, but rates owning a bookstore and writing her own
novels as the absolute highlight.
In
her mother and wife alter ego, she has traveled widely and lived in
some very unique places including Far Western Queensland, Cape York,
and even Tasmania. She loves to travel and rates China and Hong Kong
among her favorite destinations.
ASHLYNN
MONROE
Ashlynn
Monroe is a busy working mom. She loves her kids and family. Her
greatest joy is creating stories to entertain others, and she hopes
they bring a little more romance into the world. She’s been writing
since her teens, for her own enjoyment, but decided in her thirties
to share her imagination with readers. Ashlynn enjoys biking,
camping, reading, video games, and filling her home and life with
love. If she’s not working or chasing her children, you can find
her daydreaming up her next tale of romance.
JAYE
SHIELDS
Jaye
Shields is a flight attendant by day and romance author by night. Her
addictions include reading, travel, and other activities not even a
romance writer will confess to. She’s in a committed love affair
with her readers, so don’t be shy!
BETH
D. CARTER
Beth
likes writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary
circumstances, so her heroines will probably never be lawyers,
doctors, or corporate highrollers. She tries to write characters who
aren’t cookie-cutter and pushes herself to write complicated
situations that she has no idea how to resolve, forcing herself to
think outside the box. She loves writing characters who are real,
complex, and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption
through love.
Beth
has been pretty fortunate in life to experience some amazing things.
She’s lived in France and traveled throughout Europe, Australia,
and New Zealand. She’s a mom to an amazing little boy, and she’s
surrounded by friends and family. She hates washing dishes but loves
cooking, hates washing clothes but loves wearing them. Her favorite
color is red, but she looks best in black (it’s slimming). She
hates people who don’t pick up their dog’s crap in public places,
people who don’t use turn signals, and people who are rude and
condescending. She especially hates discrimination in all and every
form. And although she loves holding a book in her hand, she
absolutely adores her ereader, whom she’s named Ruby.
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