Welcome Victoria Vallo back to Sunday Spotlight! She's here today to share a bit from her new Shifters of Arizia series with us. The first book is Tangling with His Tiger.
Captain Byron Gregg sails into his home port with a bounty to collect on
and a longing for someone new in his bed. When he notices a man
watching him, he can’t help being intrigued. Yet once he’s collected his
reward, Byron can’t find the man anywhere. He searches all over the
village, delighted when he finally finds the man and manages to pull him
into an alley—and into his arms.
The only problem is … he’s kissing the wrong man.
Byron
senses the other man is also a shifter, and his inner bear wants
nothing more than to claim him. Eric runs away, insisting he’s not
interested in Byron. But the bear can’t get the scent or taste of Eric
out of his system. He’s skilled at hunting down pirates, and now he’s
setting out to hunt down his mate…
Eric sighed as he turned his collar
up against the wind. The dark clouds moved in faster now, and he still had
several errands to do for Vane Harold. The man had been kind and understanding
when Eric’s twin brother Samuel had been caught shirking his duties, not to
mention fucking the vane’s youngest daughter. Eric resented how Samuel had tarnished
their family’s reputation as good clansmen, and he was determined to show
Harold that he was a far better man than his lazy, conniving twin.
As he moved past the entrance to an
alleyway, a strong hand reached out and grabbed him. Before Eric could even
react, he found himself pushed face first up against the stone wall of the
butcher’s shop, the muscular body of a large man holding him in place. He could
feel the man’s large cock rubbing against his ass.
“I only have a little coin. I’m
hardly worth fooling with,” Eric whispered, though he didn’t think he was about
to be robbed. The man’s erection pressed against him even more, and Eric had to
stop himself from pushing back and encouraging his attacker. He hadn’t felt a
man’s touch in a long time, but a back alley fumble was hardly the way to
scratch that itch.
“You know that isn’t what I want,”
his assailant whispered, his tone surprisingly soothing and gentle. The man
backed up enough to turn Eric around, but he still kept Eric pinned there
against the stones. Eric drew in a breath as he stared at the handsome man.
He’d intended to put his attacker at ease and then knee him in the crotch and
make a run for it, but this man was no ordinary thug. He looked like a sailor,
possibly one of rank. He wore fine leather boots and tight breeches that showed
off the erection Eric had just felt pressed against him. His white shirt was
clean, and his brocade waistcoat seemed to have been tailored specifically for
him. His beard was well trimmed, and his long brown and gold hair was clean.
And looked very touchable.
Eric licked his lips. He’d only
slept with one man before, but he’d loved every moment of the rough, passionate
fucking. “I think you’ll find a more suitable companion down by the docks,”
Eric said. “This part of town is a bit more respectable.”
The man laughed. “Is it respectable
to follow a man around with lust in your eyes and then vanish?”
Eric didn’t understand at all. Who
was the man talking about? He’d been the one following Eric around, hadn’t he?
And he certainly hadn’t vanished. Their bodies were pressed close now, and Eric
worried his cock might start responding soon. He’d never be able to get away if
the man felt him getting hard. Eric started to speak, but the man stopped him
with a kiss. The embrace was slow but heated, and Eric felt as if he was being
branded by the man’s mouth. No one had ever kissed him so deeply before.
The man broke the kiss and opened a
few buttons on Eric’s shirt, his mouth and tongue exploring. “Smell so damn
good. Taste even better.”
Eric gasped when the man’s teeth
grazed his neck. But he didn’t resist, even though he could feel the heat
creeping up his face. He’d never done anything like this out in the open, and
the street would only get busier as people tried to get home and out of the
coming rain.