Snippet Saturday: Sarasota Steam

Today’s Snippet Saturday is from my book Sarasota Steam, a historical, writing as Tessa Monroe. Setup: Callie is posing as “Charlie.” She’s taken refuge with Jasper and Goyo, who are lovers. The men already know her secret, and on a hot day, they figure the perfect way to get her to finally admit it…

—

Callie looked up at the sound of Jasper’s laugh. The easy sound rolled out of him and across the small spring. She watched the way Goyo looked at him, and Jasper’s return glances. At the very least they seemed good friends, as close as brothers from the way they worked together. Many times silently, as if knowing the other’s thoughts.

She wondered why they were single, then decided it didn’t matter. She’d hate giving up a nice bed for a pile of hay, but if it meant staying safe, she’d do it.

The dogs had followed them to the spring and plunged in with the men, paddling around for a few minutes before climbing out and shaking water all over. She watched them, not paying attention to the men until she heard a splash of water and realized Jasper swam over to her. Even through the rippled water she could see his thick member, seemingly waving at her as the clear spring created the illusion.

She swallowed hard.

“It’s a hot day, Charlie. You should come on in. I’m sure you’d like to cool off.”

She didn’t dare draw her feet in, reading something in his eyes telling her that’d be the wrong thing to do. “I’m all right. Just wettin’ my toes.”

He stood, the water just below his hips. Water clung to the dark, curly nest of hair just barely exposed by the water. She struggled to keep her eyes off the trickles of water running down the dark hair on his chest and dripping from his…

Oh, my!

He put his hands on his hips. “I think you’d enjoy a chance to scrub the dirt and sweat off after a day like today. You smell like a horse.”

“Well, you smell like a wet dog, Jasper.”

He grinned. “Do I?”

Goyo chimed in from nearby, where he sudsed up with the soap. “Yeah, now that I think of it, Jaz, you sort of do.”

Jasper’s smile didn’t put her at ease, but before she could scramble backward off the rock and out of his reach, he’d grabbed her, hoisted her off the rock, and slung her out into the middle of the spring
where she nearly landed on Goyo.

She came up screaming her outrage as she tried to swim to shore, but Jasper blocked her progress.

“No, Charlie, I told you we’d teach you to swim,” he said as he grabbed her and tossed her into the middle of the spring again, “and that’s what we’re going to do!”

She finally had to swim across the spring to get away from him. Goyo stood near the opposite shore, laughing. “Look at that, Jaz. You’re a good teacher. One swimming lesson and she’s swimming like a gator.”

Her eyes widened, horrified. “There’s gators in here?” She frantically looked around, terrified.

“Not in this one, it’s way too small.” He crossed his arms and stared at her. “Now tell us your real name, Charlie. Or is it maybe Charlene? Or Carla?”

—

http://www.bookstrand.com/sarasota-steam

Description

On the run and disguised as a man, Callie Johnson is on her way to inquire about a job at the Coval Ranch outside of Sarasota when she’s caught in a hurricane’s fury. Jasper Collins and Gregorio Valdes see right through her deception but are willing to protect her secret…if she’ll keep theirs.

The two men are lovers, but that’s not all. Jasper mourns the murder of his wife and children, while Goyo hides his true heritage. Callie can’t help but fall in love with them both. When the men make their intentions known, she doesn’t hesitate to become Mrs. Jasper Collins to protect all of them from flying rumors and meddling single women.

Callie can almost forget her past and her vengeful step-father. That’s when a brutal attack forces Jasper to face demons from his past as he sets out to protect their steamy little slice of heaven.

A Siren Erotic Romance