Deliberate Deceptions Cover Reveal

I’ll admit it, there are some covers I’ve had that I’ve fallen in love with the moment I saw them, and others…not so much. (When you have a publisher, sometimes you don’t have much of a say. And sometimes it’s just really hard to find just the right image and you have to…settle for “close enough.”) But when my editor over at Samhain sent me DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS original cover, it fell firmly in the “OMG, that’s perfect” column. Which is why you may look at the new version and think “that looks familiar.”

For those of you who have watched While You Were Sleeping, there’s a scene where Jack explains to Lucy about ‘leaning’ vs ‘hugging’ …

Well, there’s a scene in DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS where Chad is…leaning. Wanting. Just like the couple on the cover.  So when I got my rights back from Samhain, and I had to replace the cover, I couldn’t bear to part with that…lean.  Luckily enough, I’d bought that image all those years back, so I asked my new cover artist from Flirtation Designs if she could manage to work it in around the new series design. And she did!

So Chad and Lauren will return to your digital vendors on April 10th. And as a special treat for those of you who prefer to hold a print book in your hand, the print version of DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS will be available within the next month or so AND I’m going to be adding PERFECT PROPOSAL, the novella that has never been in print before, to the print version. (Sorry about the delay, but the time is dependent upon trial print versions being mailed from the States and having to go through Canadian customs–that’s the slowest part of the whole procedure.)

Coming April 10th from:

DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS
Copyright © 2011 Leah Braemel

His lips hovered centimeters above hers, his breath warm on her cheek, his eyes locked on her mouth. She expected him to lean down, to take charge, to kiss her. But he didn’t. Instead he held himself in check with a rigid control, as if he were fighting a battle. And winning.
“I don’t want just one night, Lauren. I want it all back again—us, the way we were. We both know that’s not going to happen.”
All her doubts crumbled into dust. He wanted her still. “We don’t know that.”
She tilted her chin and closed the distance between them until her lips brushed his. He didn’t move, letting her tongue slide against the seam joining them but not allowing her entry. She wouldn’t beg but if he wouldn’t accept her kiss, she’d find another way past his defenses.

Her hands flattened over his chest, seeking his shirt buttons. He didn’t move as she undid them one by one. His stomach muscles tensed when she parted the opening of his shirt and touched bare skin. She affected him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She was so close. If she could just convince him to let go, to give her a chance…she traced the curve of his stomach, up to his pectorals. Love me. Please.
As if she’d touched a switch, his body shuddered beneath her fingers. He drew a deep breath, then his lips captured hers, taking command of the kiss. His tongue swept over her lips as if he were sampling her, preparing to feast upon her. He adjusted the angle of his head; his chin rasped over hers, the heat of the razor burn rousing a lingering reminder of their lovemaking long ago.
This was what she’d remembered, what she’d dreamed of all these years. Wanted. Needed. he hadn’t touched her with anything but his mouth. She wanted his hands on her, all over her, every inch of his body touching hers. His chest, his stomach, his hips. More than the hard length of his thigh holding her in place.
Her hands slid around his waist in an attempt to pull him closer but he resisted her attempts. Damn it, if he wouldn’t come to her, she’d go to him.
She shifted until they were chest to chest, cradling his erection against her mound, relieved to feel the proof that he wanted her as much as she needed him. The pressure against her chest increased when he captured her wrists, dragged them over her head. God yes, like that. Take me hard and fast, the way I love.
Their combined breathing was heavy and harsh in the room as they stood there, panting. Waiting. The hell with waiting. She’d waited too long for this chance, she wasn’t going to let it slip away. Holding her breath, she ground her hips against his erection.
With a groan she felt to her toes, Chad dropped his head to her shoulder. His mouth sought out the spot beneath her ear, a spot he’d long ago learned connected straight to her pussy. His teeth nipped the spot, his tongue soothed the sting. Pain followed by pleasure. He repeated it. So hard and fast was out. Slow and easy was nice too.
Without warning, he straightened, releasing her. Instead of backing away, his fingers combed through her hair, one hand cupping the back of her head, holding her in place. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
“I can’t. I do want this.”
I want to go to bed with you lying beside me, knowing you’ll be there in the morning. I want to make you understand why I had to leave, take the pain away that I caused you. I want us.