Back to Bite You
A Bayou Gavotte Novella
|
IS THIS LOVE -- OR MURDER?
A female vampire in hiding, a hunk with a mission, and a sinister history uncovered. When vampire Mirabel Lane goes to Bayou Gavotte to hide out from the mobster she just dumped, the last thing she expects is to inherit a house. No, make that the second to last thing. What she really doesn’t expect is to fall for the previous owner’s hunky grandson. When Gerry Kingsley goes to Bayou Gavotte to check out probable gold-digger and possible murderer Mirabel Lane, the last thing he expects is to fall in love with the irresistible twenty-something vampire. No, what he really doesn’t expect is to unearth―once and for all―his family’s dark, convoluted past. This novella is a prequel to the Bayou Gavotte series. Buy Now! Barnes and Noble Nook Kobo Amazon Kindle Amazon UK |
Here's an excerpt from Back to Bite You, where Gerry gets a glimpse of Mirabel's irresistible vampire smile.
Thunder crashed; rain descended in sheets, coursed in torrents through the downspouts, and ran in rivulets under the house. “Ordinarily, I adore this kind of weather,” she said, squeezing the water from her T-shirt. It ran over the hem of her shorts and down her shapely legs. She shivered, and her husky whisper bathed him with untold promises. “It’s so invigorating.”
This girl was nothing like Grandpa’s other lady friends. She turned to Gerry with a smile that made his heart somersault with love.
Love? He’d barely met her. He was out of his frigging mind.
“Oh, no!” She clapped her hands over her mouth. “I keep forgetting not to smile. I’m so sorry!” She put out a hand as if to touch him, but quickly dropped her arm again.
He wiped a hand across his brow. “Sorry for smiling? Why?”
She shrugged uneasily. “I can’t explain, but there might be consequences. Unpleasant ones. It’s only for another month or so, and then I’ll be good to go.” Her lips quirked irrepressibly, but immediately she straightened them again. “I guess you want to get yourself into dry clothes, so I won’t keep you.”
He’d completely forgotten that he was soaking wet. “You’re going to deprive the world of your beautiful smile for a whole month?”
He hadn’t meant to say that. It just popped out.
She bit her lip, clearly stifling a grin. “It might be taken the wrong way. Like, for example, as if I was flirting. Which I’m not.”
“Ah,” Gerry said, accepting the strangest brush-off he’d ever experienced, telling himself it was only his libido that felt a pang of loss. He was used to disappointing his libido. Aunt April might believe him to be discriminating, but when it came right down to it, women were simply too much work.
“I’m just being practical,” she said, nibbling on her lip. He stared at her mouth and the pull of her teeth, entranced. She said, “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Oh, hell.
“Somebody got hurt?” Grandpa Arthur, for instance? Such a flippant reference to death couldn’t possibly come from that kissable mouth. He didn’t believe it.
“Many men.” Her delectable lower lip trembled in the slightest pout. “Badly hurt or even dead.”
Maybe he had to believe it. A slow burn of anger uncoiled inside Gerry, tinged unmistakably with regret.
She shook her head, as if to dispel her own regrets about the unfortunate necessity of murder. “That’s just the way it is. Thanks again. I’m Mirabel, by the way.”
Fortunately, she’d already brushed him off, so he didn’t feel the least bit bad about telling her who he was. About making her sorry she’d as good as confessed to putting on an act, to pretending she’d loved Arthur when she’d actually done away with him.
Unbelievable. To think Gerry had almost fallen for that humdinger of a smile. She wouldn’t smile when he introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you,” he lied. “I’m Gerry Kingsley.”
Buy Now!
Barnes and Noble Nook
Kobo
Amazon Kindle
Amazon UK
This girl was nothing like Grandpa’s other lady friends. She turned to Gerry with a smile that made his heart somersault with love.
Love? He’d barely met her. He was out of his frigging mind.
“Oh, no!” She clapped her hands over her mouth. “I keep forgetting not to smile. I’m so sorry!” She put out a hand as if to touch him, but quickly dropped her arm again.
He wiped a hand across his brow. “Sorry for smiling? Why?”
She shrugged uneasily. “I can’t explain, but there might be consequences. Unpleasant ones. It’s only for another month or so, and then I’ll be good to go.” Her lips quirked irrepressibly, but immediately she straightened them again. “I guess you want to get yourself into dry clothes, so I won’t keep you.”
He’d completely forgotten that he was soaking wet. “You’re going to deprive the world of your beautiful smile for a whole month?”
He hadn’t meant to say that. It just popped out.
She bit her lip, clearly stifling a grin. “It might be taken the wrong way. Like, for example, as if I was flirting. Which I’m not.”
“Ah,” Gerry said, accepting the strangest brush-off he’d ever experienced, telling himself it was only his libido that felt a pang of loss. He was used to disappointing his libido. Aunt April might believe him to be discriminating, but when it came right down to it, women were simply too much work.
“I’m just being practical,” she said, nibbling on her lip. He stared at her mouth and the pull of her teeth, entranced. She said, “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Oh, hell.
“Somebody got hurt?” Grandpa Arthur, for instance? Such a flippant reference to death couldn’t possibly come from that kissable mouth. He didn’t believe it.
“Many men.” Her delectable lower lip trembled in the slightest pout. “Badly hurt or even dead.”
Maybe he had to believe it. A slow burn of anger uncoiled inside Gerry, tinged unmistakably with regret.
She shook her head, as if to dispel her own regrets about the unfortunate necessity of murder. “That’s just the way it is. Thanks again. I’m Mirabel, by the way.”
Fortunately, she’d already brushed him off, so he didn’t feel the least bit bad about telling her who he was. About making her sorry she’d as good as confessed to putting on an act, to pretending she’d loved Arthur when she’d actually done away with him.
Unbelievable. To think Gerry had almost fallen for that humdinger of a smile. She wouldn’t smile when he introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you,” he lied. “I’m Gerry Kingsley.”
Buy Now!
Barnes and Noble Nook
Kobo
Amazon Kindle
Amazon UK
Content copyright 2013, Barbara Monajem. All rights reserved.
