8:59 AM

Out Now!
BRANDON'S WAY
thru Smashwords

CONTEST: In honor of my first release on my own (woo woo) I will be giving away 3 free downloads of Bradon's Way to those who leave a post. I'll draw the winners Monday next week. Best wishes and check out the excerpt below. To read the first chapters (1 - partial of 3) visit: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17390. Hope you check it out!

Blurb:

Marisa Rand fled Oklahoma ten years ago, the day before she was to marry Brandon Spotted Eagle. Now, Marisa is a determined career woman making a name for herself on Wall Street. Her work is the only thing that matters. When she gets a call and it’s Brandon’s voice on the other end—her world is thrown off kilter. Marisa's mother is battling cancer and it's time to return home.

Marisa returns to the one place she’s made every effort to leave behind and comes face-to-face with the one person she’s been running from all this time…Brandon. They are both bitter and horns lock right away, but the desire raging between them will not be denied.

Brandon wants Marisa to come home for good, but Marisa has a fiancĂ© back in New York and a successful career. She’s terrified to leave the only things she’s ever known and take a chance on the love she never really left behind. Marisa must face who she’s become, be the daughter she once was, and discover if she’s truly strong enough to give Brandon what he wants...Brandon’s Way.

Excerpt:

Everything in Brandon screamed to rush into the room, pull her into his arms and kiss those delicate lips, to run his hands through her hair and cup those all too inviting breasts. How many times did he cup those small mounds? Suckled them? His mouth watered and he wanted to do more than just touch. He wanted Marisa just as much now as he did ten years ago, to feel her beneath him, her legs wrapped around his waist as he buried himself deep inside her, over and over. In the back of his mind he heard her crying his name as he made her his all over again.

He straightened, meeting her gaze when she stopped, turning slowly toward the door. She didn’t say anything, only stood there staring at him for a moment. Then she moved, visibly shaking as she took those precious steps toward him.

Marisa grasped the door in one hand, looking up at him. Her emotions shown in her eyes, he could see the aching need in them. Then just as quickly it was gone and anger flickered in those pale green eyes. He went to speak and she slammed the door shut, hard and fast.

Brandon stood there stunned then furious. Grabbing the knob, he shoved the door open. Marisa spun around, her shock mirroring his own when she slammed the door in his face.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, taking the headpiece off and tossing it on the desk along with the phone clip.

He stormed into the room undeterred by her cutting glare. “Mom was worried about you and she -”

“Mom? You mean mom as in my mother?”

Brandon tossed the black Stetson he held onto the desk. “That’s exactly who I’m talking about.”

Marisa flew across the room to stand nose to nose with him, though forced to stretch and stand on her tiptoes to do so…still coming up short. “You lost the right to call her Mom ten years ago.”

“No, Marisa, you lost the right. You’re the one who left, remember?”

Her eyes widened at his words. “I left you, not my mom.”

“No, you ran,” he shot back at her. “You ran from all of us. Where were you when your mother needed your help?”

She shoved against his chest, but he didn’t budge. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. “I didn’t know.”

He smiled sardonically. “Well, now you do. Things are rough, Marisa. Are you going to run away instead of facing your troubles? Or, are you going to hide in here and bury yourself in your work so you won’t have to face the world?”

Her hazel eyes flashed daggers and it amazed him that he wanted to hurt her - hurt her as she did him. He wanted to make her angry to feed his own pain and anger.

“I don’t know, maybe we should ask Connie Matthews about it,” she retorted.

Brandon knew that card was coming, but it was still a slap in the face. Her words dripped with accusation.

Marisa left the day before their wedding thinking he’d cheated on her with Connie, when he’d been faithful during their entire relationship. It hurt. It hurt like hell when she’d run and didn’t believe in him. Granted, the situation looked bad, very bad. But if she’d stayed she’d have seen it wasn’t what it appeared.

He clenched his teeth, fresh rage boiling as the memory surfaced, furious at the words she threw in his face. His hands balled at his sides as he looked her in the eye, speaking with tight restraint. “I never slept with Connie and if you had given me a chance, given us a chance, you would have realized it.”

Marisa reared back, her face registering shock. “You actually expect me to buy that story. You were in bed together, in her arms, both of you in nothing but your underwear.”

Grabbing his hat and placing it on his head, he turned toward the door. Stopping in the doorway, Brandon looked back. “I don’t know what I expected, Marisa, but I thought you loved me enough to trust me and at least hear me out. But no, you ran. You’ve been running for ten years and I would have never thought that about you when we were together.” He paused looking down the hall toward the kitchen before returning his dark gaze back to her. “Your mom wants you to come eat lunch. She worries about you.”

Without another word he walked away, his footsteps fading until she heard the distinct sound of the porch door slamming shut. Leaning against the desk, Marisa fought against the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She worked to control her breathing, her hand fisting over the sharp pain in her heart. The rhythm of her heart pounded hard beneath her clenched fist.

Brandon could still take her breath away.

His long black hair hung loose to the middle of his back. His cheekbones were high, sculpted, nose straight with slightly flaring nostrils, full sensuous lips, and his eyes were dark as onyx. They still managed to grab her, claim her…brand her as his.

His chest was broader, his body lean, hard and defined beneath the tight fitting, black t-shirt. His hips tapered down to long, muscular legs, the faded jeans molded to his shape perfectly. Her spirit ached for him, but his betrayal weighed heavier on her heart.

Looking up at the ceiling, she blinked rapidly. She was strong, independent. She didn’t need him or any man to make her happy, especially one who cheated on her.

Pushing away from the desk, she walked toward the door. She was so enraged with Brandon and so on fire for him at the same time it made her even angrier. With that in mind, she walked out of the study toward the front of the house.

Her determined strides took her through the living room. Her mother jumped up from her sewing, smiling. “Hi hon -”

Marisa rushed past her and out the front door. Her feet stomped across the porch then she hurried across the drive toward the stables, where she found him cleaning out one of the stalls. With fists clenched and heart pounding, she walked up to him. He whirled around in surprise then she shoved his chest hard, with all her might.

He fell backwards into the pile of hay. His eyes flew up and clashed with hers. She pointed down at him. “Don’t ever act high and mighty to me, Brandon. Don’t think to tell me who, what, or how I should be or even used to be. You lost your say over my life, about anything pertaining to me long ago.”

He went to rise, but she shoved again, hard, knocking him back down in her angry tirade. His hand snaked out, wrapping around hers and dragged her to the pile of hay with him.

Marisa screamed in outrage. It was the only way to stifle the gasp of pleasure that tore through her body as his long frame covered hers, pinning her to the itchy straw. His hard body pushed into hers. She fought the urge to bring her legs around his so he fit against her throbbing juncture. Instead, she shoved against his chest to put distance between them, but he grabbed her hands and roughly pulled them above her head.

“Get. Off. Me,” she managed to grit out.

“Are you going to calm down so I can let you up?” he asked through clenched teeth. They were perfectly white and even, stark against his dark skin, snapping together in his anger.

“I knew this was a mistake coming back.”

“Well, it’s about time you did come home. Your mom has needed you for a long time.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, what about you? Had he needed her at all? Had he missed her? But she didn’t speak, only stared up at him, letting herself fall into his dark gaze. For a moment she saw warmth in his eyes, desire. She went soft beneath him and she wanted his lips on hers. For him to somehow make the past disappear and love her again, but that was impossible.

“Get off of me,” she said again, but softer this time, unable to shield the hint of sadness.

His sigh brushed at the softer side of her heart, but she ignored it. Slowly, he released her hands, and rose. Leaning down, he offered to help her stand, but she refused, slapping his hand away. “I don’t need your help.”

“What do you need, Marisa?” he asked, on a hint of sarcasm yet there was a gentleness in his tone, in his eyes.

She stopped from picking the hay off her clothes. What did she need? What? She had everything she could possibly want in life, a penthouse in New York City, a successful fiancé and her own successful career. So, what was missing?

She looked at Brandon who seemed to be waiting patiently for her answer. He leaned against the wooden rail of the stall, staring down at her. His whole posture was laid back, but the tension in his arms, the way the muscles would bunch, belied his emotion. Her eyes met his again and Marisa fought for strength. All she needed was the memory of that day, Brandon in his boxer’s and Connie in her pretty bra and panties…his look of bewilderment at being caught.

Marisa’s mouth tightened into a firm line and her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms and lifted her chin in a haughty gesture. “Nothing. I don’t need anything, especially from you.”

She turned and walked away.

REMEMBER: In honor of my first release on my own, (woo woo) I will be giving away 3 free downloads of Bradon's Way to those who leave a post along with email addy. I'll draw the winners Monday next week. Best wishes! To read the first chapters (1 - partial of 3) visit: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17390. Hope you check it out!

37 comments:

Debby said...

Wow, it sounds great. I read the excerpt and it sounds full of emotion and tension.

Lisa Anderson said...

Hey Ann - loved the excerpt of Brandon's Way. Can't wait to read the whole story. The underlying tension between the two characters is fabulous.

Keep up the great work and congratulations on publishing your own book. That is a great accomplishment.

I would love to win a copy for my collection.

Have a great day!

Lisa Anderson
liloskar37@yahoo.com

Tamsyn said...

Congratulations! Love the blurb and the excerpts. This sounds like an excellent book. Count me in!
tamsyn5@yahoo.com

Linda Henderson said...

Congratulations on your release. I enjoyed the excerpt very much and would love to read the entire story.

seriousreader at live dot com

JeanMP said...

Congrats on your release.
That was a great excerpt, very intense. Looking forward to reading the whole story.
skpetal(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Congrats! So happy for you. *hugs*

(BTW ~ add me to the contest: carlydibben@hotmail.com)

Tanya Hanson said...

congratulations, Ann. This is a terrific excerpt...wanna read it all! The cover is glorious, too.

Keep on doing so good!

s7anna said...

Congratulations on your new release!

It looks like it's gonna be a great read...the characters seem really fierce and I love their emotional interactions. This is going on my TBB list.

*hugs*
Anna
s7anna@yahoo.ca

LORETTA CANTON said...

Good excerpt! I am ready to read this book. Good luck.


lorettaC
lbcanton@verizon.net

SiNn said...

aweosme post deff sounds great congrats

mortalsinn@yahoo.com

Ann Lory said...

Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by and checking out Brandon's Way. I really do appreciate all the congrats and well wishes. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt.

I've been running around today and finally settling in to see what's going on.

Ann

Lorraine said...

Sounds good! Congratulations on your new release!
Lorraine Nelson
lornel2.5@hotmail.com

sscout said...

It's a great story, I can't believe I'm just now getting around to following your blog with google connect, the setting is not really my cup of tea but you're a great writer :)

sscout AT gmail DOTcom

Unknown said...

Excellent excerpt, Ann. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the book.

Patricia Warner said...

My hearts all a flutter from just the exerpt, can't wait to read it all.

Good Luck, Pat
mspattykay@verizon.net

Nancy Henderson said...

Sounds like a great read, and I love the cover!

BonnieForsythe said...

I am so anxious to find out how this story ends! It's extremely difficult to really capture my attention but you've done it! A chance at a free copy would be even better!

Bonnie Forsythe
bonnieforsythe@gmail.com

Christine said...

Congratulations on your new book and it looks to be a very good story.

Looking forward to reading it in it's entirity.

Keep up the good work.

Ann Lory said...

Hey all! Thanks for the comments, congrats and great feedback on the excerpt.

Sscout, I'm glad you found me on blogger. I have a new author spotlight everyweek, Wednesday's Witty Words and on "some" Friday's (I try to do every Friday and fail miserably) a guess what movie this quote is from.

It's a lot of fun to do this blog. Keeps me busy, but fun. :-D

Serena Shay said...

Yay, Ann!! Congrats on the new release, it sounds wonderful! I can't wait to read more! :)

serenashay@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I am hooked already, I can't wait to read the rest of it now.
Cassie

Ann Lory said...

Amanda Kelsey did the cover art. She does a great job and I pretty much request her to do all my covers. If you want to check out what she's done here's her website:

http://razzdazzdesign.com/

or

http://elune-555.deviantart.com/gallery/

You'll probably see some other covers there you'll recognize.

Ann

Anonymous said...

I can not wait to read this story. Two lovers finding each other after many years, oh I love these stories!

Missyb0103 said...

Loved the Excerpt, I cannot wait to read it.

missyb0103@yahoo.com

skyla11377 said...

Congrats on your first release on my own. I know you will have many more because Brandon's Way sounds so good. I so need to read more of it. I would so love to be entered into this giveaway.

skyla11377(At)AOL(Dot)Com

Manisha said...

Hi Ann. Am Manisha
Hmm.... Just Love your book cover and the except. Nice color combination. Will b waiting to reads it
manisha_0306@yahoo.com

Joye said...

I loved the excerpt. The emotions of this scene put you right into the characters and what they were feeling!!! Awesome!!!
Can't wait to read the rest!!!

EdgesAngel23 said...

This book sounds so incredible!! I read the excerpt and I LOVE IT!!
I've just gotta read the whole book!!!
Ashley A
ash_app@hotmail.com

The Scarf Princess said...

Congrats on the new release! The blurb and excerpts sound wonderful. The tension between the two of them is so intriguing.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS...I so love the excerpt... you know me being in Oklahoma, I can totally relate to some of the thins like people wanting to runaway for a new life and being drawn back here... Oklahoma don't seem like it has a lot to offer but when you leave a love behind and the state you feel an emptiness in your heart and soul...

Ann Lory said...

Hey again everyone. Thanks so much for the cover compliments. I do love it. It just jumps off the page at you. I'm entering everyone who leaves a comment into the drawing. I'll post it first thing Monday morning and send it out after that. Best wishes again to all!

Ann

Ann Lory said...

Joder -

I love the pic of your kitties. SO CUTE!

Ann

mariska said...

oh my...I want this ! Enjoyed the excerpt so much :)

uniquas at ymail dot com

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thanks for inviting us over for a look at your excerpt. Sounds like a fun read. :-)

Have a great week!

Heather Bennett
Executive Editor
Decadent Publishing
www .decadentpublishing. com

Yolanda said...

Congrats on the new release. Can't wait to read it.

pechedete@yahoo.com

Vesci said...

Sounds good! Congratulations on your new release! Lorraine Nelson lornel2.5@hotmail.com