When Jessica Martin met Johnny Devereaux that December, holiday magic filled the air but their love was no enchantment….he was, without doubt the love of her life and by summer, they were happy newlyweds with all their life and holidays ahead.
But when he failed to return home from a fishing trip on the Fourth of July, Jessica’s world is rocked to the foundation and when the authorities tell her that her husband is missing, presumed dead, she refuses to believe it.
As the months and seasons pass, no one else holds out hope but Jessica believes.
She knows he’ll be home for Christmas no matter what. Her family calls her crazy, Johnny’s family tries to help her find closure but Jessica’s heart refuses to surrender hope.
When Christmas comes, the truth will come out to shock them all.
Book trailer - http://youtu.be/mLQBf90xFMM
EXCERPT #1 (Sweet):
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“I know you,” he said, “I don’t know how but I know you, inside. I may not know yet what your favorite color is,”
“Red,”
“Or what season you love the most,”
“Christmas,” she supplied and he grinned.
“Or if you are seeing someone,”
Jessica smiled at him, feeling a rush of affection for him. “I am now.”
Johnny
understood; she watched the knowledge of it soften his features and
curl his lips into a sweet smile. “Darlin’, you’re my woman, just like
that. I never saw it coming but now that you’re here, I’m glad. I’ve
wanted someone like you in my life for so long but I never knew your
name or what you looked like. I always kind of figured that my heart
would recognize you when you showed up.”
“Did it?” Her voice sounded normal with no hint of the tears that ached within at his tender words.
He released her hands to put his right one in the center of his chest, over his heart.
“Oh, yeah, Jessica Martin, it totally did.”
No
guy ever said such romantic things to her. His words weren’t flowery
or fancy but delivered in that Oklahoma twang; she savored each one and
filed it away in memory to keep forever. Before she could think up
something to say back, the waitress brought their food and he took her
hands in his again, this time to ask a blessing.
After
that, hungry, they ate. First, they had the homemade soup, perfect for
the cold winter’s night, then they enjoyed the rest of the meal.
Although the food was tasty, the burger juicy, the bacon crisp, and
fries just right, Jessica could have dined on oatmeal and been just as
happy. They never stopped talking, their pauses timed to accommodate
the other’s answers and by the time they headed back out into the
snow-filled night, they both knew the basic life history of the other.
And more important than that they knew how much they loved each other, for now and for always.
EXCERPT #2 (Romantic):
Jessica
daydreamed about their very first time together, that night they became
intimate. She’d come home late from her teaching job and found Johnny
there, asleep on her couch. When she went to change clothes, she found
that he’d transformed her ordinary bedroom into a lovely bower, a
romantic place where anything could happen – and did.
A
vase of white, red, and pink roses stood on her dresser, the fragrance
of the flowers heavy and sweet in the room. Jar candles sat near the
posies on the table beside her bed, even on the headboard. As they
flickered, she caught their scent, a rich gardenia smell she liked, one
that reminded her of the classic White Shoulders perfume. A brand new
comforter, soft and fluffy, covered her bed replacing the worn out old
discount store navy blue bedspread. Jessica stroked her hand across the
surface, admiring the white comforter where big pink and crimson roses
bloomed. Music flowed from her CD boom box, not rock, not country but
the pleasant sounds of Mannheim Steamroller. Impressed by the effort
he’d made to create a romantic scene, she smiled.
If
he could create this mood, then she could follow his lead. Jessica
opened a dresser drawer and searched. She rejected the full-length
flannel nightgown, the faded and well-worn nightshirt, the silky shorts
she often slept in and pulled out the one piece of sexy lingerie she
owned with triumph. The satin baby doll still had the store tags from
when she bought it at clearance after Valentine’s Day last year, unable
to resist the pretty crimson garment. She’d wondered who she might wear
it for or if she’d ever have the nerve but tonight, inspired by his
preparation, she changed into it. She sprayed on a little Obsession
and brushed her hair until it hung smooth past her shoulders. Inside,
she trembled from a volatile combination of nerves and desire but she
walked into the living room with a siren’s strut only to find Johnny
still asleep.
She
knelt down, noticing the way that his long eyelashes brushed his cheek
and how a slight smile teased his lips. Judging by his even breath he
was deep into sleep country but Jessica bent down to kiss his mouth,
slow and serious. He responded before he awoke, his lips sculpting to
fit hers and when he opened his eyes, he grinned.
“Hey, Johnny,” she said in the huskiest whisper she could summon. “It’s bedtime.”
He blinked, still smiling. “Is it?”
“Uh-huh,”
“Then come here, honey,” he said, “let me rock you to sleep.”
He
sat up and then snagged her with his arms. He cuddled her on his lap
and began to kiss her with gusto. Johnny tasted her with the same eager
zeal she thought he would have for a good steak, the perfect hamburger
or maybe a fine wine. Her appetite equaled his and she returned his
kisses. Her arms locked around his neck to hold tight as his hands
roamed, caressing her with both ardor and appreciation.
When
he gathered her up and carried her into the bedroom Jessica thought she
would swoon with delight. She loved it, adored being mastered and
loved with such intensity. He put her on the bed as her senses embraced
all the sensual triggers around her, the rich aroma of gardenias, the
delightful music that evoked emotion, the candlelit ambiance, and his
touch against her skin. Jessica gloried in it and surrendered.
Any
lingering restraint, old fears from previous relationships that went
sour vanished in the total power of Johnny’s lovemaking. As they
fondled and caressed, kissed and touched, Jessica crossed the last
boundary to the total certainty that this man was the love of her life,
her significant other, forever.
When
they came together like a force of nature, on a grand scale like a cold
and warm front intersecting, everything was right. Their timing
brought them home together on a slow, full rush of delight, a pleasure
that enveloped and encompassed them both. In those moments, that
eternity that could never last long enough, they became one, united in a
way that transcended any words, any laws, any binding. Nothing could
be more full or complete that this and with wonder, with joy, they both
knew it well.
After,
as they unwound with sweet lethargy they whispered together, words of
love and promises that didn’t have to be spoken to be valid. By the
time that the shadows cast by the candles grew tall on the walls, they
knew they would have to move but neither had energy or inclination.
EXCERPT #3 (Sensual):
He
pulled her tighter against him and his mouth touched hers, light at
first and then with strength. Johnny engulfed her the way that
floodwaters take over farmland, consumed her like a hungry man at a
banquet and fired her like a tiny ember sparks a candle flame against
the night. His warm lips took hers, caressed them and made her whole
again. In his arms, her mouth on his, Jessica burned with passion, a
fever that no one else could cure. Her head swam with such dizzy
delight that when he stumbled they both almost headed down the stairs.
He caught her up in his arms and carried her into the apartment,
kicking the door shut behind him with one boot.
In
one graceful shrug, he slid out of the snow covered jacket and it
dropped to the floor. Jessica unsnapped his shirt, one slow snap at a
time, her hands burrowing beneath it to touch flesh. He slipped her out
of her black jeans and pulled that red sweater over her head, catching
her hair and tousling it but she didn’t care. Before it joined his jean
jacket on the carpet, a splash of red beside the blue, she unzipped his
jeans and let them slide down to his ankles. Johnny stepped out of
them, removing his briefs in the same motion and he caught her to him,
kissing her this time until he robbed her breath.
Her
hands roamed over his body, touching bone beneath the flesh, marveling
at how lean he was now although he’d not been fat before. His scars
beneath her sensitive fingertips made her want to cry for him but that
could wait because the living force that seared them both wouldn’t be
denied.
That
first time, he took her there, still standing, entering her with a
roughness she liked and filling her with his cock. Jessica bent
backward, balanced against the edge of the couch so he could go deeper
and when he did, she cried out with the pleasure of it. He came like a
shot, fast and true, and they both shouted together in a wordless cry.
Legs wobbly, knees weak, she leaned against him for support and he
snatched her up into his arms, took her to the bedroom.
“More,” he whispered, “I need more.”
She
made no protest but writhed against him in need. That undeniable flame
roared again between them, older than time, sweeter than heaven,
stronger than death and they coupled, coming together twice more before
they lay, legs wrapped together, arms across one another, sated for now.
BUY LINKS:
All Romance eBooks - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-singwenowofchristmas-649933-149.html
Siren/Bookstrand - http://www.bookstrand.com/sing-we-now-at-christmaas
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Sing-We-Now-Christmas-ebook/dp/B006H3K73E/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322856552&sr=1-6
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/rebel-ink-press?store=ebook&keyword=rebel+ink+press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy is a full-time romance author. A native of the old historic city of St. Joseph, Missouri, one time home to both Jesse James and the Pony Express, she now lives and writes in the beautiful Missouri Ozark region. Her romance novels include Wolfe’s Lady (December 2010 Evernight Publishing), Love Tattoo, (March 2011, Evernight), Love Scars (June 2011, Evernight), Love Never Fails (May 2011, Rebel Ink Press), Kinfolk (July 2011, Champagne Books), The Marriage Cure (Astraea Press, July 2011), Love Scars, July 2011 (Evernight Publishing). Love Tattoo, Love Scars, and Love Knots are the first three volumes of her Love Covenant paranormal romance series. Love Shadows, book four will be out in December. Just released in October are Witness Protection Program (Rebel Ink Press, A Time to Love (Champagne Books. Coming soon are Sing We Now of Christmas (Rebel Ink Press, December 2011). Upcoming in 2012 are five (for now!) more Rebel Ink Press titles (A Patient Heart, Miss Good Samaritan, Guy’s Angel, In Love’s Own Time), In the Shadow of War, and a novella, Long Live the King (Champagne Books). Her work also appears in more than twenty anthologies and she has multiple short story/non-fiction credits.
She is a member of RWA, Missouri Writers Guild, EPIC, and the Ozarks Writers League.
Her work also appears in multiple anthologies. She earned a BA degree in both English and History from Missouri Southern State University as well as an AA Degree in Journalism from Crowder College. She worked in broadcast media for a decade and also has a background in education. Her weekly column “Hindsight” appears each week in the Neosho Daily News.
She is married to Roy W. Murphy and the couple has three children, Emily, Megan, and Patrick Murphy.
If Lee Ann – or Lee as many of her writing friends know her – isn’t writing, she’s reading or spending time outdoors.
In Neosho, Missouri, the small town she now calls home, she serves on the local library board, is active in the annual Relay For Life fight against cancer, has worked with the local Arts Council, and is active in her parish.
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Sounds like a winner, Lee Ann!
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