June is the hottest month...

It's my turn to blog again and I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a good topic. With all these fabulous Amber Heat Wave covers coming out, I decided a little excerpt from my first Amber Quill story, Renna's Sacrifice would be in order.

Renna's Sacrifice was my Amber Heat Wave entry last year. It wasn't my first Amber Quill release, though. It got beat out by Conjured in Flames by one month.

Renna's was my second attempt at writing hot, hot, hot and I had a hard time finding an excerpt from it that wouldn't set my monitor smoking. If you're looking for sizzling, don't miss this year's Amber Heat Wave, but in the mean time, here's a little taste of Renna's Sacrifice.

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A few nights later as Renna ran through the trees to their meeting place, a sharp branch caught her shift and tore it at the shoulder. Fear gripped her for a moment. The priestesses would wonder how she could damage her nightdress while sleeping. What would she tell them?

She would have to mend it before dawn, but that would mean leaving Benar sooner than usual and she couldn't bear that. The nights were too short as it was.

Clutching the torn shift to her breast, she made her way to the pond. Benar met her on the shore as usual. Concern darkened his eyes when he saw her torn dress.

"What happened?" His fingers brushed hers where she held the thin fabric.

"A branch tore it," she said and let the cloth drop slightly. Beneath the material, a shallow scratch marred her skin. When Benar saw the small wound, he drew in a breath and his brows knit together.

He ran his thumb over the thin red line of broken skin and the contact sent a jolt of awareness through Renna. The muscles in her legs tightened and her nipples came erect.
Benar must have sensed the change in her because he stared curiously for a moment. Then he moved his fingers along her skin and pushed the damaged shift off her shoulder.

The torn edges of the dress fell, exposing Renna's breast. The pink tip was hard. It ached more than usual. When Benar covered it with his palm, Renna gasped. Her knees felt like warm candle wax. They could barely hold her up. Something deep in the core of her body clenched, waiting.
She looked up at Benar and his eyes were heavy. He held his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Renna..." The sound of her name brought her towards him. She stepped forward and allowed her breast to fill his palm. He took the soft mound and caressed it reverently. The feel of his work-roughened skin on the sensitive tip sent shock waves of pleasure and need through Renna's body.

She arched her back.

Benar reached down and caught the hem of her shift in his free hand. He raised the fabric over her thigh, her hip, and up to her waist. The feel of it sliding over her bare skin drove her mad. She had never experienced anything like this before.

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